FC Barcelona have played five games in the 2024-25 season, all of them being wins for the Catalans. Their latest victory in the league came over Girona last night, and the Blaugranes will now be looking to begin their UEFA Champions League campaign with a match against Monaco this Thursday.
These first five matches have also provided the spectators with a good idea of Flick’s preferences for his team. Although injuries have somewhat limited his options, the favorite starting eleven of the German coach seems to have already taken shape to a good extent.
As SPORT has reported, there have been up to four players in the squad who have played all the possible minutes this season. These players include Marc Andre Ter Stegen, Jules Kounde, Inigo Martinez, and Raphinha.
The rest of the players have been substituted at some point in these five matches. These four players are also expected to get some rest as the schedule becomes denser for the Blaugranes.
Ter Stegen’s case is easy to explain as he is the starting goalkeeper, and barring any surprises or emergencies, he is expected to play almost all the available minutes.
Inigo Martinez’s case has been helped by the injuries suffered by Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen, as Flick has only limited options in the center of the defense.
Similarly, Jules Kounde is also expected to play a lot of minutes this season as Joao Cancelo was not signed for this season, and he is the only reliable option for the right-back position. Hector Fort did play in the match against Girona, but he was subbed in for Pau Cubarsi, and Kounde remained on the pitch though he had to shift to the centre of the backline.
In the frontline, only Raphinha has played all the possible minutes. Flick understands that Raphinha needs to feel important to get the best out of him, and the Brazilian has also responded well to the opportunities that the Barcelona head coach has given him.
To his already undoubted work ethic and intensity, he has also added goals, but he will have to get rest in one of the upcoming games as the schedule gets tighter.
Flick has already provided some relief to three of his other important players, i.e., Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, and Cubarsi, as he wants them to remain in the best shape possible going forward.
