Flick insists Gavi remains key as Barcelona's midfield depth limits his minutes after knee injury

Hansi Flick has defended Gavi’s lack of playing time at Barcelona, framing the midfielder’s seven minutes since returning from a minor knee injury as a consequence of squad rotation rather than any loss of standing at the club. The German coach addressed the situation at a press conference on Tuesday.

Gavi started Barcelona’s opening fixture of the season away to Elche but picked up a knee injury that ruled him out of the next two games. Since returning to the squad he has featured for just seven minutes, a stretch that has drawn attention given his strong finish to last season and his apparent fitness heading into the new campaign.

Flick pointed to the competition for midfield places as the central factor. Rodri has quickly established himself in the starting line-up, while Pedri, Fermín López, Marc Bernal and Dani Olmo have all played regularly in the opening weeks. That concentration of options has squeezed Gavi’s opportunities since his return.

The coach said every player in the squad is important and that Barcelona need the whole group across the course of a season. He acknowledged Gavi’s desire to play more, but noted that the midfielder had started against Elche, suffered an injury and then returned to a team that was performing well. Flick added that Gavi is training well, which he described as exactly what he wants to see.

Flick has made frequent changes to his line-up during the opening month and a half of the season, using the breadth of his squad rather than settling on a fixed starting eleven. His comments placed Gavi’s situation within that broader approach, presenting it as a squad management question rather than a signal that the midfielder has fallen out of favour.

Gavi remains part of a midfield group with significant depth, and Flick’s stated intention is to draw on that depth and spread minutes across the squad as the season develops.