Run Less, Bleed More: Barca’s Fitness Alarm Ahead of El Clasico
16 October 2025
Barcelona are enduring a clear physical crisis this season, a slow start and inconsistent results marring a side once renowned for tactical discipline and intensity under Xavi Hernandez, and more recently Hans Flick. The team now looks less capable of running and more prone to muscle injuries.
Across the opening eight La Liga fixtures, statistics show 14 teams running more than Barcelona. The casualty list has grown worrying: Robert Lewandowski has suffered two muscular injuries since the season began, joined by Alejandro Balde, Fermín López, Raphinha, and Dani Olmo, with Lamine Yamal sidelined in five of the first ten games due to a hip issue.
When Flick arrived, Barca overhauled conditioning, gym, and physio regimes. The club appointed Julio Tous as head of fitness and pledged to cut injuries by 50%, but the reality was different: Lewandowski’s injuries, Balde’s setbacks, and a broader list that has tested the squad’s depth. The calendar waits for no one, and the Clasico on October 26 looms as a major stress test.
From Peak to a Worrying Decline
Statistics tell a second story: in seasons Barca won the league, they were among the top teams for running distance and high-velocity actions. Under either Xavi or Flick, Barca’s physical edge was once a key to success. Yet this season, current numbers show Barca players under Flick below average in all fitness metrics, a striking reversal that cannot be explained by injuries alone and correlates with more frequent injuries and a drop in intensity during matches.
Injuries and a decline in conditioning are not the sole explanations for dipped performances, but they are significant. Flick, who had delegated such matters to his staff, is now facing a visible physical decline within the squad as injuries accumulate and match demands bite deeper into recovery windows.
Clear Variations in Form
MediaCoach’s data reveals a sharp contrast between Barca’s 2022-23 season under Xavi — where Barca topped the table in average distance per player (about 113.521 meters per game) and showed strong high-velocity actions — and the 2024-25 season with Flick, where Barca dropped to sixth in total distance (117.429 meters per game), trailing clubs like Celta Vigo, Atletico Madrid, and Girona.
Despite the drop in overall distance, Barca have improved in sprinting over 21 km/h, leading the league with 8.005 meters per game, ahead of Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad. In the >24 km/h category, Barca sit second with 3.620 meters, behind Rayo (3.708).
Season’s Core Challenge
Under Xavi, Barca won titles by controlling games and conceding few goals. Under Flick, the pressing approach and scoring from all zones also delivered trophies, but the data suggests Barca and Real Madrid remain among the physically demanding teams, with Real running less overall than Barca in recent years.
After eight rounds this season, Barca are ranked behind 14 teams for distance covered, and Flick’s squad remains below the league average on most physical metrics. Injuries and lapses in conditioning are not the sole explanation, but they are significant factors, and Flick, who had delegated such issues to his staff, is growing increasingly concerned about this evident physical decline inside the squad.
Injuries and fitness declines are not the sole explanation, but they are significant factors, and Flick’s team is showing signs that the physical edge that once defined Barca may be eroding. As the Clasico approaches, the cohesion of the squad’s conditioning and the ability of the medical and coaching staff to recalibrate will be tested in the crucible of one of football’s biggest fixtures.
Punchline 1: Barca's GPS shows “recalculating” more often than “going.”
Punchline 2: If fitness were a transfer, Barca would have signed a treadmill ages ago — and still have a long contract to run.
