Barcelona Defensive Crisis: Flick Calls Up Two Teenagers as Four Defenders Remain
Barcelona defensive crisis has forced Hansi Flick to call up two academy teenagers for Saturday’s match against Alaves. Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde, Xavi Espart, and Andreas Christensen are all unavailable. Only four first-team defenders remain. And Barcelona are coming off back-to-back defeats.
Barcelona’s season was supposed to be a celebration. They won La Liga last season. They started this campaign with nine straight wins. Lamine Yamal was the best player in the world. Everything was perfect.
Then PSG happened. Then El Clasico happened. And now, the Barcelona defensive crisis has arrived.
The Injury List Is Brutal
Barcelona’s defensive absentees for the Alaves match are not minor. They are structural.
Eric Garcia is out with a thigh injury. Jules Kounde is out with an ankle sprain. Xavi Espart is out with an ankle problem. Andreas Christensen is out with a quadriceps injury. That is four defenders, including three right-backs and two centre-backs.
Flick’s response has been to call up Alex Campos and Guillem Victor from the academy. Both are teenagers. Both are untested at this level. And both may be forced into action against a La Liga side that, while struggling, will smell blood.
The Predicted Lineup Is a Patchwork
With so many absentees, Flick is expected to field a makeshift defence. Frenkie de Jong, who returned from injury in El Clasico, may be forced to play centre-back alongside Pau Cubarsi. Gerard Martin is the only natural left-back available. And Brian Farinas, an academy right-back, could make his official debut.
It is not a defence that inspires confidence. It is a defence held together by tape and hope. And it is a defence that will be tested by an Alaves side that has nothing to lose.
My Take: The Barcelona Defensive Crisis Is the Cost of Squad Planning
Everyone will blame the injuries. They will say Barcelona are unlucky. They will point to the four defenders on the treatment table and say no team can cope with that.
That is true. But it is also incomplete.
Barcelona knew Christensen was injury-prone. They knew Garcia had fitness issues. They knew Kounde had been playing through pain. They knew Espart was a teenager with limited experience. And they still went into the season with a defensive depth chart that relied on all of them staying fit.
That is not bad luck. That is a gamble. And the gamble has failed.
The Barcelona defensive crisis is not just about the players who are missing. It is about the players who are left. Flick has a squad built for attacking football, not defensive resilience. He has midfielders who can play in defence, but not defenders who can play in midfield. He has teenagers who can fill in, but not veterans who can steady the ship.
The Alaves match is not a crisis. It is a test. If Barcelona win, the crisis is managed. If they lose, the questions about squad planning will become impossible to ignore.
And there is another factor. Barcelona’s fixture list is unforgiving. After Alaves, they face Aston Villa in the Champions League, then Atletico Madrid in La Liga, then a Copa del Rey tie. The defence will not be fully fit for any of those matches. Flick has to find a solution with the players he has, not the players he wants.
What Happens Next
Barcelona vs Alaves kicks off at Spotify Camp Nou on Saturday. Flick will field whatever defence he can cobble together. Yamal, Raphinha, and the attack will have to carry the team.
The next fixtures are harder. Aston Villa in the Champions League. Atletico Madrid in La Liga. If the defence is not fixed by then, Barcelona’s season could unravel.
For now, Flick waits for his defenders to return. And hopes his teenagers grow up fast.
