Barcelona's depth vs three key players who risk being left out

Barcelona has made a perfect start to the season, but the abundance of quality creates a paradox: while Hansi Flick’s team is unbeaten after eight matches and has a six‑point lead over Real Madrid, three big names – Jules Koundé, Gavi and Alejandro Balde – are getting hardly any playing minutes, just like Frenkie de Jong.

Koundé’s fight for the right‑back position

Jules Koundé has played only 261 minutes in the first eight matches, while right‑back Eric García already has 469 minutes on the clock. Moreover, Koundé has remained completely unused in the last three matches, despite a full 90 minutes for France against Turkey during the international break.

Gavi and Balde under one hundred minutes

Midfielder Gavi has so far only had 81 minutes of action, a result of recurring injury problems and huge competition from players such as Fermín López, Dani Olmo, Pedri and Marc Bernal. Left‑back Alejandro Balde has not yet logged 12 minutes on the scoreboard; he remains behind Xavi Espart and Joao Cancelo, while he almost left last summer but ultimately stayed.

Barcelona expect Frenkie de Jong clearance within a week

De Jong’s absence and the upcoming challenges

Frenkie de Jong has not played a single minute for Barcelona since the World Cup because of a knee injury, and his return is not expected until after the top duel with Real Madrid. The club has sent a clear signal with the arrival of Rodri, making the competition in midfield even sharper. Flick now has to find a way to keep the three big names motivated without disrupting the successful core.