This should be a celebratory time for Barcelona fans. The Catalan giants enjoyed a triumphant return to their cathedral this weekend, bossing Athletic Bilbao 4-0 in the first match at the Nou Camp in over 900 days.
Yamal was cosplaying Messi again, using his remarkable vision and deft movement to send the crowd into raptures. Real also went on to drop points at Elche, putting the defending champs within one point of their bitter rivals. Yet they go into tonight’s game at Chelsea off the back of significant background upheaval. Barca’s early-season injury crisis has approached epic proportions, with new casualties popping up with every game and/or training session. Honestly, a trip to see Zootopia 2 could result in a thigh strain for Lewandowski.
Various reports have come out suggesting that it wasn’t all down to bad luck. Highly respected Spanish fitness coach Julio Tous has come under the microscope after reports of mass disillusionment among Barca players. Barca have apparently restructured their entre physical preparation staff, relieving Tous’s team of sole responsibility for player’s fitness. I thought I would look at some of the controversial incidents that have led to this distrust in the Barcelona background staff.
The Balde and the painful
Barcelona’s backroom incompetence is perhaps most amusingly summed up in the Alejandro Balde incident. The Spanish fullback wasn’t a victim of some harsh tackle or strenuous workout routine. Oh no, he allegedly suffered a hamstring strain due to using a piece of gym equipment incorrectly. Apparently, Balde says he was given incorrect instructions from a member of Tous’s crew. This incident is straight out of SNL farce. While amusing, it does point to a culture of fundamental incompetence.
Misdiagnosis
The situation surrounding Gavi feels more insidious. The midfielder is a crucial part of Barca’s intricate possession-based style, controlling the ball in tight areas while the defensive line presses forward. He is now a long-term absentee due to an amateurish case of misdiagnosis. The Barca medical staff originally reported that his knee issue was superficial, and he was prepped for a few weeks out of the side. New details emerged and Gavi would go under the knife (he is only due to return well into the new year). This scatterbrain to diagnosis has been a feature of Julio Tous’s disastrous tenure.
Rushing recovery
Barca players grew increasingly disillusioned with the way that their rehab was mismanaged. Let’s look at their pair of electrifying wingers: Raphinha and Yamal. Raphinha- who came within a whisker of pinching the Ballon d’or- is a prime example of Barca’s braindead approach to player recovery. Barca allegedly pushed the Brazilian speedster ahead of the recent Clasico, increasing his workload despite his rehabilitation. He has only just been reintegrated into the squad, coming on as a substitute during Saturday’s rout of Bilbao.
The final straw
For all the rumblings of discontent, it appeared that Barca’s torrid fitness culture looked set to continue. That was until they messed around with star-boy Lamine Yamal. The de factor figurehead of this current Barca generation, Yamal is probably the one guy who you must keep happy at any cost. The talismanic playmaker has endured well-publicized issues with pubalgia and has been in and out of the squad. He was apparently dissatisfied with his treatment and launched a formal complaint about the handling of his injury, requesting a change in the physical preparation staff.
The Barca brain’s trust quickly complied with Yamal’s request, reducing the role of Julio Tous and his crack team. I think it’s a bit depressing that it took so long for Barca to take decisive. Could some of these injuries have been prevented- or at least mitigated- if they reacted proactively to the obvious backroom deficiencies? Instead, they needed a complaint from the star pupil to get their act together.
To healthier times
Despite the turmoil, I think Barca will no doubt benefit from this action (regardless of how belated it was). It will appease some of the disgruntled players while obviously ironing out some of the protocols that Tous had in place. With a Madrid derby fast approaching, Barca must carefully monitor their injury-riddled squad and not throw the likes of Pedri into the fray haphazardly,
