Barcelona have been recently boosted by the return of star midfielder Pedri, who notably started his first game in three months against Alaves this past weekend.
As we now brace ourselves for yet another international break, it should give another midfielder Frenkie de Jong some valuable time to recover and get back to full fitness.
Reports suggest that de Jong could be back into action by November end, which is a major positive for Xavi Hernandez.
Xavi may utilise four-man midfield
The return of Frenkie de Jong will open up many tactical options for coach Xavi Hernandez, one of which is to deploy a four-man midfield unit.
Such a strategy was critical in helping Barcelona dominate La Liga last season and eventually win the title.
This season, however, Barcelona have been unable to utilise the formula, largely due to the injury problems so far this campaign.
But with de Jong and Pedri returning, Xavi will have the option to operate a four-man midfield unit, which in turn, would restrict the number of attackers for Barcelona.
Joao Felix’s spot in danger
Should Xavi consider this change in setup, one of the attackers who could potentially lose his place in the starting eleven is Joao Felix, reports AS.
The Portuguese international has had a decent start to his Barcelona career. But his early season flair has died down and the forward has not scored in any of the last ten matches.
Given that Robert Lewandowski is a guaranteed starter, Xavi might consider rotating things around for the other available attacking position.
As a result, Felix stands to lose his place in the starting eleven, especially if his scoring rut continues in the coming weeks.
The post Barcelona forward at the risk of losing starting spot once key midfielder is back appeared first on Barca Universal.
