FC Barcelona won the La Liga title last season with significant, and arguably the most decisive, contributions from their defense. Now, with the 2023-24 La Liga campaign having kicked off, Xavi will be looking to build on this defensive stability of the team.
The intention to further strengthen the defense was clear this summer, as Barcelona incorporated the veteran defender, Inigo Martinez, into their ranks. However, the center-back has not been able to feature in the pre-season friendlies or the La Liga opening match because of his physical problems.
Inigo Martinez nearing a full recovery
FC Barcelona are currently preparing for their second match of the league against Cadiz, which is scheduled for this Sunday. According to SPORT, Inigo Martinez has nearly recovered from the injury problems that he came to the Catalan club with from Bilbao, and will be available for selection to Xavi for this second match.
The center-back was able to participate in group training with the rest of the squad, but he still completed only a part of the training. But his participation in the training session shows that he is already in the final stages of his recovery.
More defensive depth for Barcelona
FC Barcelona were fearing an injury crisis only last week when three of their center-backs were unavailable due to injuries. Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, and Inigo Martinez were all unavailable to Xavi for a few days. Fortunately, Araujo’s injury was minor, and both he and Christensen recovered in time to participate in the opening league fixture.
Furthermore, Barcelona are also aiming to register Marcos Alonso by next week, which will provide Xavi with another center-back in the squad. Thus, even after the sale of Clement Lenglet, Barcelona would have more than enough depth in the center of the defense, with Eric Garcia also available for selection.
