24-year-old Barcelona player continues to see his importance increase in Hansi Flick’s plans | OneFootball

Although Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez have been the clear starters for Hansi Flick this season, the competition for a centre-back spot at FC Barcelona has been quite fierce.

This is mainly because of the surplus of options that the Blaugrana coach has had at his disposal. In addition to this Spanish duo, the Catalan team also has Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo, while Andreas Christensen is also a part of the team, even though he has spent most part of the season on the sidelines.

In such a context, one of these players who has seen his importance in the Blaugrana team increase is Eric Garcia. Even though he is not yet a starter, SPORT notes that he is becoming increasingly important for Flick, a fact showcased by his participation in the last seven league games.

The Spaniard will participate in the upcoming game against Osasuna as well, as Flick has already announced that he will replace Pau Cubarsi in the backline. The youngster suffered a physical problem in the last international break and will be on the bench for tonight’s game.

Meanwhile, Ronald Araujo will also be unavailable for this game as he played for his Uruguayan national team only a few hours ahead of this La Liga match.

Thus, Garcia will start with Inigo Martinez, and Flick’s decision to bet on the former Manchester City defender was helped by his ability to adapt to any partner in defence, as he has already shown comfort playing with all of Araujo, Cubarsi, and Martinez.

For the most part of this season, the Spaniard has played mostly as a midfield pivot, and that too only in emergency situations.

But with Marc Casado out with an injury and Frenkie de Jong being the only natural option to play in the midfield pivot, Garcia can also play in this position going forward, especially as Gavi’s performances here have not been entirely convincing.

Thus, the Spanish defender has come a long way from being only a few steps away from leaving Barcelona, both in the last summer and winter windows, to being an important player for Hansi Flick.