It is only the early days of the season for FC Barcelona, but the team is already performing at a very high level. They have won all their matches up to now, with their last win being a 7-0 drubbing of Real Valladolid.
This good form has come despite the injuries to some of the team’s most important players, including the likes of Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi.
With two key center-backs out, Inigo Martinez has stood out in these first matches of the season. As SPORT has noted, he has started all four games up to now and also has played all the possible minutes. Thus, he is enjoying the full confidence of the new Barcelona coach, Hansi Flick.
However, Martinez’s situation was far from this a few weeks ago. His future at Barcelona was quite uncertain during the last summer transfer window, as he was one of the names the Catalans considered for an exit to deal with their Financial Fair Play problems.
The FFP problems kept him from being registered with La Liga, but Flick pushed the club to get him registered, which was ultimately done by taking advantage of Araujo’s injury.
But then, he started the game against Valencia, along with Pau Cubarsi, and has been the team’s leader in defense since that game. His standing in Flick’s eyes is further enhanced by being the only left-footed center-back in the team.
Furthermore, the €5m-rated Spaniard has also impressed with his forcefulness, good positioning, and clairvoyance on the pitch. His commitment to training and his helping hand towards the youngsters is also further enhancing his standing in Flick’s eyes.
With such a good start to the season, Barcelona fans will be hoping that he continues to play an important role in the team, and avoids the injuries that kept him out of action for a significant period of the last season.
