FC Barcelona fans love to draw parallels with the current generation and the golden generation of the club and the thought of a #6 and a #8 dominating the midfield during games is one that fills the hearts of Blaugrana fans with a lot of joy.
Thus, it was such a poetic moment when Gavi, who recently returned from an ACL injury that he suffered back in November 2023 was given the captain’s armband by Pedri as he was taken off. It felt like a beautiful gesture towards the La Masia graduate.
Barcelona fans continue to dream of seeing Pedri and Gavi play together in midfield, but according to Mundo Deportivo, it’s been a year since that last occurred. Since his return from injury, Gavi has played five matches, but his time on the pitch has yet to align with that of Pedri.
Hansi Flick has been carefully managing Gavi’s minutes on the pitch, slowly and gradually increasing the time for which he features in a game. Incidentally, in these few games, he has been brought on to replace Pedri or after the 21-year-old has been substituted.
The last time Barcelona fans saw Pedri and Gavi play together for the club was on November 7, 2023, against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. In La Liga, their last pairing came on November 4, 2023, against Real Sociedad — the same team Barcelona will face next.
Everyone knows what happened on November 19, 2023, when Gavi played for Spain in an inconsequential game against Georgia. He has since been working hard to return to full fitness and is on his way to getting there soon.
It could be some time away but Gavi is slowly yet surely returning to the day when he becomes a starter for Barcelona again. However, his cross-over with Pedri could be as soon as this weekend against Real Sociedad, should Flick choose to leave the latter on the field for the entire 90 minutes.
It remains to be seen how Flick manages Gavi’s minutes going forward. Trust the German coach to have a plan and soon enough, Barcelona fans might get to see the Pedri-Gavi duo playing week in and week out together in the starting XI.