Barcelona is grappling with a midfield injury crisis following the early departures of both Frenkie de Jong and Pedri during Sunday’s LaLiga draw against Athletic Club at San Mamés.
The situation worsened when De Jong had to be substituted off on a stretcher in the 26th minute after an awkward landing on his ankle. This setback is particularly concerning as the Dutch international had already spent two months on the sidelines earlier in the season due to a sprained ankle.
Pedri’s departure shortly before halftime compounded Barcelona’s woes, as he suffered his third muscle injury of the campaign. The talented midfielder had previously been sidelined for two months in August due to a hamstring issue and had also missed three weeks earlier in the season with another muscle problem.
Both De Jong and Pedri are scheduled to undergo scans on Monday to assess the extent of their injuries. However, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández expressed pessimism about their conditions, indicating that the outlook for both players does not appear promising.
“The injuries affected the team because Frenkie and Pedri are two important players for how we want to play,” Xavi said in his post-game news conference.
“Pedri’s been coming good again [after his last injury], he trained really well this week. It’s such a shame. Frenkie, too. He is heavily involved in our play. They are two big losses.
“It doesn’t look good. We missed them today and we are going to miss them. Hopefully it’s for less time than expected.”
“It was a big opportunity wasted,” added Xavi as Barça missed the chance to cut the gap on Madrid, who were held by Valencia on Saturday, and climb into second ahead of Girona, who lost to Mallorca earlier on Sunday.
“We did not play well. Maybe the first 15 minutes was OK, but the rest wasn’t. We can’t be satisfied. We have to be self-critical. We should have taken a step forward.
“It’s true this is a tough place to come, but we are disappointed because it wasn’t how we wanted to play. Perhaps the only positive is how we defended.”
Barcelona’s midfield crisis has been further compounded by the absence of Gavi, who has been sidelined for the remainder of the season since November after sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament while representing Spain.
In response to the injury setbacks, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández improvised by deploying center-back Andreas Christensen and young talent Fermín López alongside Ilkay Gündogan in midfield during the match against Athletic Club.
Another potential option for midfield reinforcement is Oriol Romeu, who could provide cover in the middle of the park for Barcelona. This comes ahead of their crucial Champions League round-of-16 second leg clash against Napoli on March 12 at the Olympic Stadium. The first leg in Italy ended in a 1-1 draw.
Barcelona’s upcoming fixtures include a LaLiga encounter against Mallorca on Friday, followed by a challenging trip to face top-four contenders Atlético Madrid on March 17.
In addition to De Jong, Pedri, and Gavi, Barcelona’s injury list also includes left-backs Alejandro Balde and Marcos Alonso, as well as forward Ferran Torres. The absence of these key players poses further challenges for the team as they navigate through a crucial stage of the season.
