After spending 11 months on the sidelines with a serious ACL tear, the FC Barcelona midfielder Gavi returned to fitness and the pitch a few months ago. Since then, Hansi Flick has taken a gradual approach to reintroducing him in his plans, and almost 4 months since his return, he already has 22 total appearances to his name, 11 of them as a starter.
However, despite spending such a significant period of time on the sidelines with a serious injury, there has been little change in the midfielder’s playing style, with his aggressiveness being one of his most notable characteristics.
The La Masia graduate rarely backs down from a challenge, even disregarding his own physical safety. This was particularly on display in the match against Alaves when he was involved in a head collision with an opposition player. The incident left both players unable to continue on the pitch, and they had to be taken to the hospital following the match.
His aggression is also resulting in an accumulation of yellow cards, and he has been booked in three of the last four games he has played. Meanwhile, Gavi himself recently complained that referees do not cut him any slack.
In such circumstances, Diario AS notes that Hansi Flick now has a difficult job, i.e., to make the midfielder check his aggressiveness, without taking anything away from his essence as a player.
Doing this will certainly not be easy for the German trainer, as giving everything on the pitch is a part of Gavi’s personality, and taking it away can result in him not being as effective as he currently is.
Still, the Barcelona midfield gem knows that being careless in this regard can end up costing him minutes, as happened in the game against Sevilla when he was subbed out at half-time. Furthermore, the player himself and people who know him from his time in the lower categories believe he has already calmed down significantly.
Still, Flick will have a difficult task on his hands to reign in Gavi, without taking anything beneficial away from his game.
