Even in this early phase of the season, FC Barcelona fans have already had some memorable experiences. The most prominent of these experiences include the team’s crushing victories over Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Another event that Barcelona fans cherished a lot was the return of the midfielder Gavi to the pitch. After spending the last 335 days on the sidelines with an injury, the Spaniard returned to action in the game against Sevilla, receiving a thunderous ovation from the fans as he stepped on the pitch.
He got to play for seven minutes in that game, and although he also participated in the ensuing two games, his minutes against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were even less, as he played for only 5 minutes against the Bavarians and for 3 minutes against the Merengues.
Having passed these initial tests, Gavi now needs to get a somewhat more prominent role in the upcoming matches to continue getting back to his best shape.
According to SPORT, Hansi Flick is also attentive to the needs of the midfielder, and thus he is expected to give greater time to Gavi on the pitch in the match against Espanyol. The German tactician is expected to play the La Masia graduate for around 30 minutes in that match.
But the situation of the match will determine what role he ends up playing in that game. However, getting a full week of rest after the game against Real Madrid goes in his favor, as he has used this time to get closer to full fitness.
Despite this increasing prominence, Gavi will still need some time to get back to full fitness. This point is expected to come a full year after he suffered the injury, i.e., at the end of November. Thus, he can also take advantage of the November international break to ensure he returns to full fitness by the end of this month.