The 2-1 victory over CA Osasuna is one that FC Barcelona will truly cherish given how resilient the team from Pamplona often tends to be and the difficulty the Catalan giants faced even this time around trying to overcome their rigid defense at the El Sadar stadium.
Scoring both their goals from the 2-1 victory through set-pieces, first, a corner then a late penalty, Barcelona were only able to keep the game at bay for so long and remain in control whenever pressure started to build up due to their own hard workers in the team that continue to demonstrate their devotion to Barca’s cause.
None, however, could match up to the intensity and dedication offered by 19-year-old Spanish youngster Gavi, as the Golden Boy Award winner refused to take a breath even in stoppage time despite his own injury that required his ear to be stitched up in order to avoid further opening up the open gash in his ear.
According to Spanish outlet SPORT, Xavi Hernandez considers Gavi one of his vital players at the moment and believes his Barcelona side requires his profile to be effective otherwise his entire current structure could fall apart given a change in personnel.
While there are those who have asked for a pure winger on the left-wing position at times, even implied by Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, Xavi continues to count on Gavi as his source of commitment and balance on that wing position as he believes it offers the team much more control, something the coach wants his side to always remain in.
Having played his 100th game for Barcelona at the El Sadar stadium, Gavi continues to showcase exactly why he remains so important for Xavi Hernandez. Out of his 100 games for Barcelona, he has been a starter in 79 of them, almost an 80% rate to start whenever he has been played.
Gavi’s inclusion in the team seems reliant on that left-wing position, however, as the midfield remains more or less undisputed. Ilkay Gundogan and Frenkie De Jong are considered untouchable for Xavi given their important profiles within the team, and Oriol Romeu is the key for those other two to prosper, especially the latter.
Until Pedri makes his return from injury, Gavi will remain a vital cog in this Barcelona structure. Only once the Canary Islander makes his return will the dilemma once again become apparent for Xavi to have to choose who his midfielder will be on the bench and who makes the cut.
Even this summer, when asked about Gavi’s importance heading into this season given the new midfield recruits, Xavi provided assurance that the 19-year-old will remain a fundamental piece at FC Barcelona, stating:
“I have no doubt that he (Gavi) will be fundamental. He provides pure passion and a winning character. It doesn’t change anything (the impact of new signings on his importance).”
