Hansi Flick has raised all the alarms after detecting a worrying physical slump in his players and a wave of muscle injuries that affects almost the entire squad.
The coaching staff is analyzing the reasons while fatigue, the schedule, and effort management are exacerbating the situation at FC Barcelona.
FC Barcelona is living a critical situation, and Hansi Flick doesn't hesitate to acknowledge it. The team is exhausted and injuries are multiplying at an alarming rate. Since the start of the season, not a single match has passed without a new physical setback. The list is long and worrying: Lewandowski, Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Frenkie de Jong, Balde, Gavi or Joan García, are some of the players who have been sidelined during these months of competition.
Lamine Yamal was the last to join the infirmary. He forced his return against PSG just two weeks after suffering a strain, and the bet ended badly. The physiotherapists and physical trainers, signed by the club in 2024 with the mission of professionalizing the medical structure, are now the focus of internal debate.
After the defeat in Seville, Flick gathered his technical staff and the physical preparation team, led by Julio Tous, to analyze what is going wrong. According to Catalunya Ràdio, the data the club has is alarming: the players are not reaching the expected intensity levels for this stage of the season.
The German coach has even canceled a friendly match to avoid further wear and tear. He prefers to focus efforts on restoring the physical condition of his squad and preparing in advance for the commitments in October.
Among those mentioned, Pedri and Araújo are particularly concerning due to their low physical performance. Flick wants to get involved in the matter with individual meetings, load data analysis, and customized training sessions that will mark the coming weeks.
With seven matches in just 21 days, the schedule has taken a toll on a dressing room with few rotations. Raphinha played two insignificant matches with Brazil before getting injured in Oviedo; Fermín López also accumulated minutes with Spain and returned with discomfort. Balde and Lewandowski, for their part, have been dragging problems in the femoral biceps for months.
The opposite example is represented by Marc Bernal, with whom the technical staff acted with the utmost prudence before giving him the all-clear. But cases like that of Lamine Yamal, forced prematurely, reflect that risk management still lacks fine-tuning.
To muscular ailments are added traumatic ones. Gavi and Joan García have each suffered meniscus tears that will keep them out of the playing fields for several months. Although they are injuries resulting from fortuitous actions, specialists emphasize that poor management of fatigue and prior strengthening can increase the risks.
In the case of the Andalusian midfielder, the recovery will be long: at least six months after the suture of his right meniscus. His previous medical history exacerbates the concern.
The reading at FC Barcelona is clear: the club is paying the price for a suffocating calendar, poorly adjusted physical planning, and a squad that has yet to reach its peak form. Flick and Deco are working hand in hand with the medical services to find immediate solutions, but for now the infirmary continues to fill up.