Salma Paralleulo is back fit and firing
The young forward is starting to find her feet again after a spell out.
It is safe to say that the 2024-25 season has not been one that Salma Paralluelo will have enjoyed much so far.
The 21-year-old has played only nine games since her comeback in December, starting three times but playing the full 90 minutes just once as Barca look to manager her minutes.
Despite limited minutes on the pitch, Paralluelo is on the way back to discovering her best form with four goals and an assist so far.
It’s a stark contrast from the last two seasons for the forward, who played over 30 times in both campaigns, scoring 15 in her first season and then 20 goals during Barcelona’s successful quadruple winning season last year, finishing as their top scorer in all competitions.
She has also been a key player for her country since bursting onto the scene, helping them win the World Cup and Nations League as well as playing in the Olympics.
Given the amount of football she has played over the last two years for club and country, Barca decided to ease her back into action this term, for a number of reasons.
First of all, she ended last season late, playing through the summer during the Olympics and she was playing with some muscular discomfort and needed a rest both physically and mental given that she played so much football since joining Barca two years ago.
After signing from Villarreal and going into full-time football, the strain on Paralluelo, who also had to give up her athletics training, increased.
Barca want to be cautious now with one of their brightest young talents too given that she signed for them off the back of recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament which sidelined her for a long period and reportedly complained of pain in her knee during the tail end of the season. They hope to avoid her having a similarly long injury by being careful.
Also, it seems the club are keen to avoid overloading a key young player so soo, wary of what happened with the men’s side with the likes of Ansu Fati, whose muscle injury problems have blighted his career after his relentless minutes when he burst onto the scene.
Thirdly, whilst Paralluelo was not involved in matches, she was on a tailored training programme, doing double sessions most days to rebuild and strengthen her muscles to stave off injuries and it seems Barca were aiming to have her in peak condition for the end of the season.
Barca will be competing on four fronts like they did last term and they will need their best players fit and able to give their all in the run in.
Coach Pere Romeu said earlier in the season when quizzed on her absence: “We are not hiding anything from you. She is following a rehabilitation plan, undergoing double training sessions, and working at her maximum capacity”.
He gave no set time for her return but left it up to the player and medical department to decide when she was fully ready.
No doubt it has been a frustrating, but necessary period for Paralluelo to take stock of how far she has come in such a short space of time and for her to acknowledge that a break was needed to help her prolong her career and finally play when she is 100% fit and therefore adding more to the team.
She scored twice and provided an assist in 71 minutes in a 6-0 win against Real Sociedad in January and then scored in the following game, a 6-0 victory against Levante Baladona in her 16 minute cameo.
Her impact off the bench was vital for Barca a fortnight ago as she scored a crucial second to help them over the line against Espanyol in a hard-fought triumph. She is slowly working her way back into becoming a key player.
Her return to full fitness and match sharpness will also be a huge boost for Spain, who she has not played for since the Olympics as the Spanish federation and Barca agreed she would miss the October, November and December international windows to help aid her return to full fitness.
Paralluelo’s importance to her national side is reflected in the fact that she has been included in Montse Tome’s side for the upcoming Nations League fixtures Belgium and England, despite her limited game time with her club.
With the Euros coming up, Tome will want to nail down her best team in these games which Spain will want to win to retain their Nations League trophy and to take confidence into this summer’s tournament in Switzerland.
Having Paralluelo available is a huge boost, although she will probably have to settle for minutes off the bench given the careful management of her minutes since she returned in December.
Short term pain of a four-month will hopefully be long term gain for Paralluelo, Barcelona and Spain if she can stay injury free, get back to her best and help her club and country win trophies.