Gavi has played 81 minutes as Barcelona’s midfield thrives
Gavi remains one of the more intriguing subplots of Barcelona’s early season, a player once central to the club’s midfield now finding himself squeezed out by an in-form squad. MARCA has reported that Hansi Flick has not turned his back on the Andalusian, continuing to speak with him regularly, motivate him and praise him even as his role has shrunk to fringe involvement.
According to the outlet, which published and updated its report on September 26, Flick explains the situation directly to Gavi, encourages him and conveys his full confidence in him. The framing is notable: MARCA is not describing an official club statement but a pattern of private and public gestures from the coach toward a player who has barely featured this season.
The numbers back up the scale of the challenge. Gavi has appeared in just three matches all season, two in LaLiga against Elche and Racing, plus the Champions League fixture against Feyenoord, for a combined 81 minutes. He was also left out of Luis de la Fuente’s Spain squad because he is currently suspended. MARCA’s reporting is explicit that his limited involvement is not down to poor training performances, but simply the level of competition in Barcelona’s midfield, with Barcelona having won all eight matches so far this season, seven in LaLiga and one in the Champions League, scoring 36 goals in the process.
Gavi has been an important figure in the Blaugrana setup in recent seasons under both Xavi and Flick whenever fitness allowed, though injuries have previously disrupted his continuity, a pattern reflected in his recent return to the matchday squad. At 22, he is described in the source as having a close bond with Flick, and his ambition, intensity and ball-playing qualities are still viewed as valuable to the squad, a status that contrasts with his current absence from Barcelona’s midfield selections.
Flick has echoed that publicly, saying in substance that every player matters to the team, that Gavi wants to play and has fought back from injury, and that the collective is functioning as currently set up, so the situation must be accepted. The tone is one of managing a difficult individual outcome without disrupting a team that keeps winning.
For now, Gavi’s task is to stay ready while Pedri, Rodri, Bernal, Fermín, Olmo and the front line continue delivering results. Flick’s approach, as described by MARCA, is to keep him competitive and alert rather than treat his limited minutes as a training-ground exclusion, though nothing in the reporting points to a firm timetable for when that opportunity might arrive.
