Ansu injury a symptom of Barca’s mismanagement – Xavi must change it
Robin Bairner
- 6 Nov 2021 17:10 CDT
- 4 min read
Barcelona’s grim season took another ugly turn on Saturday just as it was starting to look up, with the club confirming that Ansu Fati picked up a left hamstring injury against Celta.
The feel-good factor caused by Xavi’s appointment as head coach in the early hours of the morning helped to carry the team into a 3-0 advantage, with Ansu, Sergio Busquets and Memphis Depay all on the scoresheet in the first half.
Ansu and Eric Garcia, who also picked up a problem, did not emerge for the second period, though, and during that second 45 minutes Celta hit back to secure a remarkable draw.
More damaging to Barcelona than the two dropped points may be the injury to their thrilling young attacker.
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Barca's injury issues
Ansu has already missed eight matches this season because of two different injuries and Barcelona can scarcely afford him to miss more.
They are already bereft of Sergio Aguero and Martin Braithwaite until early 2022, while Ousmane Dembele suffered yet another relapse earlier this week and is out for an indeterminate amount of time.
Indeed, Barcelona’s track record of managing their players’ physical conditions is alarming.
Barca's injury list
| Name | Issue | Est return |
|---|---|---|
| Neto | Illness | 20 Nov |
| Eric Garcia | Calf | Unknown |
| Gerard Pique | Muscle | 20 Nov |
| Sergino Dest | Lumabago | Unknown |
| Pedri | Muscle | Unknown |
| Sergi Roberto | Muscle | Unknown |
| Nico Gonzalez | Muscle | Unknown |
| Eric Garcia | Calf | Unknown |
| Ansu Fati | Hamstring | Unknown |
| Sergio Aguero | Heart | 1 Feb |
| Martin Braithwaite | Knee | 1 Jan |
Dembele has spent nearly half his four years at the club injured, while Pedri was worked to exhaustion last season and is now paying the price with a spell on the sidelines due to a muscular problem.
It now seems that Ansu is the latest to suffer.
Barca must end short termism
Barcelona’s youth policy is all well and good idealistically, but these young players are being pushed to the brink physically and already appear to be suffering.
They are, of course, being asked to play so regularly due to a lack of depth brought about by the club’s financial problems, yet that is little excuse for the short termism that is forcing them into excessive action and harming the team in the long term.
Barca, after all, have won just 25% of the games Ansu has missed as opposed to 50% of those he has played – and that is including the Celta game he exited with his team 3-0 up as a draw.
LATEST NEWS | Ansu Fati has a left hamstring injury. Further tests pending to determine the scope of the injury.
Eric Garcia has right calf discomfort. Further tests pending to determine the cause of the discomfort. pic.twitter.com/fiX7aEfp5v— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 6, 2021
It is certainly something that Xavi will have to be mindful of when he takes the reins of the club and attempts to implement his philosophy on the team, which is likely to mean extensively using players from La Masia.
In the meantime, Barca must play the waiting game to discover the extent of Ansu’s problem.
Even if it proves a significant problem, it is likely one they can do little about given the restrictions on their finances, but when Ansu returns, Barcelona and Xavi would do well to be mindful about the potential long-term repercussions such problems could have on their brightest young talent.
