Hansi Flick Defends Barcelona’s Load Management of Rodri Despite Fresh Injury

Hansi Flick shut down any narrative that his management of Rodri’s minutes contributed to the midfielder’s fresh injury, stating that he “communicated with the player” and “managed everything, every minute” that he played.

Rodri suffered a hamstring injury last time out against Aston Villa in the Champions League that will sideline him for Sunday’s gargantuan meeting with Atlético Madrid where Barcelona’s top spot in La Liga is up for grabs.

Many pointed towards Rodri’s lack of rest during the opening months of the season as a potential factor that led to his injury, and Flick came under fire for not managing him better in games against inferior opponents. On the eve of the clash against Atlético, Flick vehemently defended how he’s handled Rodri’s minutes.

“You always can do things better,” Flick admitted. “But I think in this case, I totally communicated with the player, and we managed everything, every minute that he’s on the pitch.

“If I speak with an experienced player, ‘What do you think about your minutes, and how should we manage it?’ and we agree, I think you can do nothing else. For me it’s like that.

“But of course, in the end when you see the results you can say, ‘Okay, maybe we have to make this or this better,’ but in the end, it’s like this, and it’s the past. It doesn’t matter.”

After missing the opening game of the season while recovering from back surgery, Rodri has featured in each of the last 14 games Barcelona have played across all competitions, starting 11 of the last 12.

Mysteriously, the only game Rodri didn’t start was the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain in which Barcelona’s perfect start of the season came to an end. Still, Rodri played the final 30 minutes of the game.

Midfield is arguably the deepest position in Barcelona’s squad, yet Flick has opted against making significant rotations in his midfield double-pivot, with Pedri and Rodri starting together 10 of the last 12 games. Meanwhile, Marc Bernal and Gavi have made a combined two starts in midfield during that run.

Rodri’s hamstring injury isn’t necessarily a direct result of his playing time, especially since he’s completed 90 minutes in just six games this season. Still, given how lopsided the bulk of Barcelona’s victories have been this season and the depth at the position, it’s also hard not to conclude that he and Flick could’ve been more conservative with his playing time early in the term.

Regardless of what could’ve been, like Flick said, it’s in the past. The fact is that Rodri won’t feature against Atlético, and Flick has a major decision to make regarding who partners Pedri at the Metropolitano.

Frenkie de Jong is back from injury and is the favorite to start, yet Marc Bernal has often replaced Rodri this season and even Gavi is another alternative. When asked if the Dutchman was going to start on Sunday, Flick confessed he hasn’t made a decision yet—or at least isn’t giving it away prematurely.

“No, I haven’t decided,” Flick revealed. “It’s always good to sleep one more night. We know the quality of him [De Jong] but also know the quality of Berni, and Berni did really, very well the last games when he was on the pitch and I appreciate a lot what he’s doing.”

“Frenkie maybe has more experience,” Flick added. “But with the ball, both of them have the confidence and the conviction so they give us a lot. Berni did really well without the ball, he knows exactly the area where he needs to be. Like I said before, I’m really happy with him.

“But also happy that Frenkie is back playing, and also you can see in training that he’s 100%. So we have to find the right starting XI. This is what we’re discussing maybe later or tomorrow.”

Flick acing his decision will be crucial for Barcelona in a critical match. A win would see Barcelona open a three point gap atop the la Liga standings, defeat would see them fall behind Atlético Madrid and remain level on points with Real Madrid entering the November international break.