After having to go into most of his matches with a very thin midfield at the start of the season, Hansi Flick has seen his options increase substantially in the last few weeks. Several FC Barcelona midfielders have recovered in these weeks, and now there is a lot of competition for the three midfield spots.
Earlier, when the likes of Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, and Marc Bernal were all out, Flick had to try some rather less-tested options in the midfield. For instance, he played Eric Garcia as one of the pivots in some games, while also having to shift Raphinha from the wing to the attacking midfield position in others.
Another option that Flick tried on several occasions was playing Pablo Torre as the attacking midfielder, and like several other players, the German tactician was also able to get the best out of the young Spaniard. Only in his last La Liga appearance, in the game against Sevilla, Torre was able to score two goals.
However, as SPORT has noted, the midfielder’s minutes have dried up despite such a good performance in his last match, as he has not had any minutes in the last four games.
But this lack of minutes has nothing to do with his performance, and everything to do with the increased competition for midfield spots, as Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Dani Olmo, and Fermin Lopez have all recovered from their injuries, and all of them play in the two positions in which Torre excels, attacking midfield and center midfield.
Still, the report claims that Cantabrian is not getting impatient, as he is satisfied with being a part of one of the top teams in Europe, and is looking to take advantage of any opportunities that come his way, without looking for a change of scenery.
This is especially the case as his lack of minutes has not jeopardized his position with the Spanish U-21 team, where Santi Denia fully trusts him. Despite his lack of minutes in the last four games, Flick has already shown enough confidence in him.
The German also gave him three consecutive starts earlier in the season—something the midfielder hadn’t experienced under Xavi and had only encountered once during his loan at Girona under Michel. However, it remains to be seen how his situation will evolve at Barcelona and whether he will receive further opportunities in the upcoming games.