With the inclusion of those acquired by FC Barcelona during the course of the summer transfer window thus far, the Catalan giants are perhaps most covered for in terms of their midfielder options given the depth at their disposal as well as the sheer quality of that depth.
The likes of Golden Boy Award winners Pedri and Gavi, former Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan, Dutch maestro Frenkie De Jong and even a thus far impressive Oriol Romeu have combined to provide FC Barcelona arguably one of the best-settled midfields in European football at the moment.
However, with that much quality present and with only a limited number of spaces within a starting eleven, there comes a major dilemma. As of right now, the most problematic concerns are those of 19-year-old Barcelona star Pablo Gavi.
According to Spanish outlet Diario AS, Gavi would not like to settle within a Barcelona side where he is seen as the fifth-choice midfielder and treated as a rotation option rather than as one of the fundamental components of Xavi’s plans.
While the Catalan coach frequently refers to the player being important as well as being likely to start him against Cadiz in the upcoming game, the Barcelona youngster will require much more than simply a direct conversation, as Xavi has attempted before, to provide him with assurance regarding his place within the team.
Moreover, the player is adamant that his numbers from last season in terms of goal contributions, being beyond those provided by Pedri and Frenkie De Jong, should be a clear sign of his importance to the team and something that the coaching staff at Barcelona should not be neglecting.
Given Xavi’s setup for FC Barcelona at most manages to incorporate four midfielders, Gavi would at the moment be the choice on the bench rather than be among those four as various reports suggest Xavi considers Pedri and Frenkie De Jong to be his undisputed starters, and Oriol Romeu to be his primary pivot for this season as the replacement of Sergio Busquets.
Then comes the case of Ilkay Gundogan, who remains the star signing of this season and will likely continue to have the coach’s faith in him due to his proven quality and winning experience as well that Xavi will hope he brings to a young FC Barcelona side.
It will be interesting to follow just how well Xavi manages to accommodate all his stars given that a long season is up ahead and everyone within the Barcelona squad will be fighting to earn their own respective place within the starting eleven.
