Gavi returns and looks set for rotation at Flick’s Barça

Pablo Páez Gavira, Gavi, is back after missing two Barcelona matches at the Spotify Camp Nou with an injury problem. As Mundo Deportivo reports, he was sidelined for the 2-0 win over Athletic and the 5-2 game versus Rayo Vallecano. On Saturday he returned to the squad, and on Sunday he was on the bench at Mestalla against Valencia (0-5), although he did not get on.

The concern traces back to the first round at Elche (0-5), where he started and asked to be substituted just before half-time. Mundo Deportivo says it turned out to be a temporary interruption: he shortened his post-World Cup break to get fit and won Hansi Flick’s trust to start as one of two central midfielders alongside Marc Bernal.

Back on schedule

Now, with Rodri and Pedri already competing at the level they showed before, Flick sees Gavi as another option to manage minutes in a part of the pitch where roles overlap and rest periods matter. The article also notes that he has been used tactically at times as an advanced midfielder or a “false winger”, positions currently handled by Fermín and Olmo, or by Gordon and Adeyemi.

What’s next for Barça

With the season’s rotation needs coming into focus, Mundo Deportivo adds that Gavi is in line for rotation in the next two fixtures: against Feyenoord at home this Wednesday as the start of the Champions League League phase, and versus Levante on Sunday at the Ciutat de València.

Flick, according to the same source, is particularly pleased with the player’s attitude, highlighting a profile that “always adds” and trains with an intense, contagious tempo—praise the coach already gave him last season.