The recent influx of injuries at Barcelona has become a problematic topic. Many key stars have been injured at one point or the other across this season. With Barcelona not even having reached the halfway point of their season yet, these injuries become even more worrying.
Much of the blame for these physical issues has been pointed towards fatigue. With Barcelona and the respective national teams of players not giving them any chance of a respite, these key superstars tend to lose both their dynamic playing ability as well as become much more prone to injuries.
However, certain players like to play every game possible. One such player is Portuguese star Joao Cancelo. As SPORT highlights, his selection is gradually becoming a dilemma for Xavi Hernandez. So far, he has played every game for Barcelona since his arrival at the club in the summer.
Statistically, he has already accumulated 1243 minutes with Barcelona this season. Moreover, he has additionally also played 446 minutes with Portugal across this same period of time. These consecutive games will undoubtedly be detrimental to the player’s fitness, and some would argue some of his dynamism has also been lost in recent games.
However, while resting him is important, it is rather hard for Xavi to make that decision considering the games up ahead. An all-important Champions League clash against Porto is followed by two La Liga-defining games against Atletico Madrid and Girona.
For now, Cancelo remains the only natural right-back in FC Barcelona. Moreover, his quality speaks for itself. A versatile player who can play not just as a fullback on either flank, but also as a midfielder and winger, Cancelo has been an undeniably influential addition to Xavi’s Barcelona.
However, with the return of Sergi Roberto and Ronald Araujo being fully rested, rotations are possible. Despite the difficulty of making such a decision in light of three very crucial encounters, Xavi does have the option to do so. There is also the possibility of playing three central defenders, a position where Barcelona is currently healthily stacked.
