After spending the last year on loan at the Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion, Ansu Fati returned to FC Barcelona last summer to once again try his luck to get an important role in the Blaugrana team.
After his highly impressive start to a senior-level career at the Catalan club, injuries and mental issues have hampered Fati’s growth and kept him from reaching the level that he showed potential for early in his career.
His return to Barcelona seemingly came at an opportune time for him, as there was a change in management, and he had the opportunity to impress the new coach, Hansi Flick, during the initial phase of the pre-season.
However, luck was once again not on his side as he suffered an injury that kept him from going to the pre-season tour of the USA, and thus showcasing his talents to the German tactician.
He returned to availability only a few days ago, and was able to play for a few minutes in the UEFA Champions League match against Monaco. He was also expected to get some minutes in last night’s match against Getafe, especially with the absence of key midfielders and the high minutes being played by Raphinha.
But he remained an unused sub in this match, and as Fabrizio Romano has reported, Flick explained his decision not to bring him on the field as he spoke to the press after the game. The German tactician made it clear that this was not because of any physical issue:
“Ansu is at 100%, but the match was tough and we decided to bring other players.”
With only a one-goal margin, Flick had very little margin for taking risks, and it is easy to understand why he decided not to substitute Fati in this game. The Getafe team is also a very challenging one physically, and Flick might not have wanted to risk the Spaniard’s fitness by putting him in such a demanding game.