Barcelona defensive duo reach a major milestone with the first team | OneFootball

Hansi Flick had to endure a difficult start to life at FC Barcelona as the Catalan side could not bring many reinforcements to his squad in the last summer transfer window and even the squad that was available to him was significantly weakened because of injuries to some key players.

The defense was one of the areas where these injuries piled the most misery, as both Ronald Araújo and Andreas Christensen were unable to play in the first phase of the season.

In such a context, the German tactician relied almost exclusively on the duo of Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez, and these two players have been among the ones who have played the most this season.

While the return of Ronald Araújo and the impending recovery of Andreas Christensen will provide more options to Flick for the center of the defense, these appearances in the first half of the season have still allowed Cubarsí and Martínez to reach a significant milestone.

According to Mundo Deportivo, both of these players made their 50th appearance in the Barcelona shirt. Cubarsí did so even before reaching the age of maturity, while Martínez did so at the age of 33, almost double that of his colleague in the center of the backline.

Even though Cubarsí did not start the match against UD Barbastro, Araújo started in his stead, he was still able to get into the game in the second half of the match, replacing Iñigo Martínez in the 62nd minute.

The youngster made his debut almost a year ago, playing his first game under Xavi on January 18th, 2024 in a Copa del Rey match against Unionistas. Since Flick’s arrival, he has played all 26 games up to now, starting 24 of them.

Iñigo Martínez made his debut in September 2023 in the La Liga match against Osasuna after his arrival at the club in the summer of that year. This season, he has made 25 appearances, the same number of games that he played in the whole of last season.

With Ronald Araújo already back in action and Andreas Christensen nearing his return, Hansi Flick faces a critical decision in the coming weeks regarding which two players will anchor the heart of Barcelona defense. Reclaiming their starting spots won’t be straightforward for Araújo and Christensen, given the intense competition.

Nonetheless, having reliable options and healthy competition within the squad is the kind of dilemma every manager dreams of. How Flick navigates this defensive puzzle promises to be a captivating storyline to follow.