Pedri's Injury Nightmarelands: Barcelona's Flick Era Tested by a Relentless Run of Setbacks
30 October 2025
Overview
Injuries have become a recurring nightmare and one of the biggest challenges facing German coach Hansi Flick at Barcelona since he took charge. The sheer frequency and variety of injuries have directly affected the team's stability and tactical choices, forcing Flick to constantly reshuffle his lineups and avoid repeating any starting XI across consecutive matches.
The sheer number and variety of injuries have directly impacted the squad's balance and the coach's tactical options, pushing Flick to adjust his formations on a near-weekly basis and preventing the luxury of back-to-back starting lineups.
Injury Toll and On-Field Impact
According to the Spanish newspaper Mundo Deportivo, from August 2024 to October 2025 Barcelona endured 38 different injuries, averaging two to three injuries per month, with this season's rate rising to five injuries per month, especially after the fourth round against Valencia.
The figures peaked in clashes with Real Madrid (7 injuries) and Girona (7), as well as Sevilla (6) and Olympiakos (6).
The latest addition to the casualty list was Pedri, the only player to start 13 official matches this season, a blow for Flick who relies on him in the midfield’s creative core.
In defense, Flick has had to field eight different defenders and change four defensive duos due to injuries.
Ter Stegen has been out since the start of the season, his replacement Garcia injured, along with issues for Balde and Christensen, which pushed Flick to experiment with Eric Garcia as a centre-back or as a full-back.
In midfield, Flick largely relied on De Jong and Pedri in eight matches, while Casadó lined up beside Pedri in five games, taking advantage of Gavi's 11-match absence.
But the most unsettled area has been the attack, with Flick using 13 different attacking combinations in 13 games.
Injuries forced players out of their usual positions, with attackers sometimes deployed as strikers due to the squad’s gaps, alongside injuries to Lamine Yamal (5), Rafinha (7), Lewandowski (3), Olmo (3), and Fermin Lopez (4).
Meanwhile, Barcelona are missing several influential players such as Rafinha, Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, Pedri, and goalkeepers Garcia and Ter Stegen.
Pedri’s absence looming for El Clásico fallout
Pedri was set to miss Barcelona's upcoming match against Elche in the 11th round of La Liga due to a sending-off in the latest Clasico, but a new injury adds more mystery around his return date, compounding Barca's challenges in a crucial phase both domestically and in Europe.
Flick will need to find alternative solutions to replace a player who is central to the team’s play, especially with other midfielders showing uneven form in recent weeks.
Barcelona host Elche on Saturday at the Montjuïc-based venue, hoping to regain momentum after a loss at the Bernabéu that left their title ambitions in a delicate position.
Clásico aftermath and the sideline frictions
Late in the Clasico, tensions flared on and off the pitch as Pedri picked up his second yellow and was sent off in extra time, with rowdy scenes near the technical area and a series of tense exchanges between staff and players.
After the final whistle, tensions spilled over again with verbal clashes between Thibaut Courtois and Lamine Yamal, followed by on-field exchanges that required intervention from officials and bench personnel to restore order.
These explosive moments underscored the psychological strain gripping one of the season’s most heated Clasicos in recent memory.
Pedri re-emerging as the midfield brain
Since first stepping onto Camp Nou’s pitch in summer 2020, Pedri Gonzalez has proven he is not merely a rising talent but a mature, tactically sophisticated player with a vision well beyond his years.
The Barça academy product carried high expectations, quickly exceeding them to become the beating heart of Barcelona and the national team.
In his debut season under coach Ronald Koeman, Pedri appeared in 70 matches for Barcelona and Spain, a record for a player not yet twenty. That season he shone across competitions before injuries interrupted his momentum in the following campaigns.
Pedri, known for his composure and resolve, has returned stronger after every setback, rebuilding himself as a central figure in the midfield—an engine that sets tempo and orchestrates moves for the team.
He remains a symbol of Barcelona’s style: disciplined, creative, and capable of elevating the collective even when the squad is under strain.
As Flick tries to navigate the balancing act, Pedri’s presence—and absence—will continue to dictate how Barcelona approaches the campaign’s toughest weeks.
Punchlines: It’s been so injury-plagued that if football were a board game, Barca would be stuck on “Snakes and Ladders” with all the extra ladders missing. And if injuries were a trophy, Barcelona would be world champions by now. Also, Flick’s lineup is less a strategy and more a scavenger hunt—who’s available today, and where should we place them?
