Owing to injuries to some of his key players and the inability of FC Barcelona to bring in new players in the last summer transfer window mainly because of their financial problems, Hansi Flick started the season with a very thin squad.
However, he was still able to get the best out of his available players and quickly found his best starting eleven. Since then, several players have made their returns to availability, but it is clear that the German coach still has a few players upon whom he relies a lot.
As Mundo Deportivo has noted, this is clear from the fact that there are at least four players in the team that have started the last 13 games consecutively. These players are Pau Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez, Pedri, and Raphinha.
- Pau Cubarsí
Cubarsí is one of the cornerstones of the team’s defense this season, and starting from the game against Getafe, the 17-year-old defender has started all the last 15 games for Barcelona. However, he was substituted early in the matches against Getafe, Young Boys, and Red Star Belgrade to get him some rest.
- Iñigo Martínez
Like Cubarsi, he has been another key part of the Barcelona defense since the start of the season, especially as Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen have both been unavailable due to injuries.
The last time he was rested by Flick was in the game against Osasuna, and since then, he has started all the last 13 games. He has been subbed out in only two games, against Young Boys and Alaves.
- Pedri
Physically, the Canary Islander is going through the best run of form that he has ever enjoyed in his Barcelona career. He has started the last 14 consecutive games, but Flick has been somewhat careful with him as he has been subbed out in 10 of these games.
- Raphinha
Since the UEFA Champions League match against Young Boys, Raphniha has been a part of the Barcelona starting eleven in every match that the Blaugranes have played, and he has only been substituted in 6 of these games.
In addition to these players, Robert Lewandowski has also been a key player for Flick. He was rested by the German tactician for the game against Mallorca, but before that, he had started 20 consecutive games for Barcelona.
