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The international break in October can be defined as fruitful for Barcelona, as most of their players managed to gain playing time with their national teams, while others rested or recovered from injuries before a long season.
International breaks tend to cause problems for the European giants, who have rosters full of players joining their respective teams. However, this was not the case for Roland Koeman’s men, most of whom made the most of the break.
The German continued to recover from injury during the international break and his goal of playing in the Clásico against Real Madrid on October 24 remains feasible. In addition, his contract extension seems to be getting back on track, as he is close to signing a new contract with Barcelona.
Koeman has not used the Dane so far this season. But although Barcelona haven’t offered him playing time, Braithwaite played for Denmark, which managed to boost his confidence.
Riqui Puig is aware that he will not be a regular starter for Koeman this season. However, the 21-year-old midfielder played 61 minutes and 45 minutes, respectively, for the Spanish Under-21 team in their matches against the Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan.
Didier Deschamps did not summon Ousmane Dembélé for the France matches in this international break. The former Borussia Dortmund forward stayed in Barcelona, worked under Koeman, who designed a specific plan for him, and Dembélé has carried it out. It remains to be seen whether these private sessions will be fruitful for the future.
Miralem Pjanic has barely played in the first leg of Barcelona’s 2020/2021 season. Koeman himself pointed out that the Bosnian was not yet fit. After playing for his national team, he returned to Barcelona with more minutes under his belt.
Pedri’s situation is similar to Pjanic’s, as he usually comes off the bench in Barcelona games this season. During the break, he gathered 75 minutes on the pitch for the Spanish under-21 team.
Ronald Araujo played in Barcelona’s game against Celta de Vigo after Clement Lenglet was sent off and started his game with Sevilla due to suspension from the French. He also played the full 90 minutes in Uruguay’s game against Ecuador.
Philippe Coutinho has become a vital cog in Koeman’s Barcelona. After returning from his assignment at Bayern Munich, he has started all three Blaugrana LaLiga Santander games this season. He has also been a regular starter with Brazil, playing 77 minutes against Bolivia and 69 minutes against Peru.
Lionel Messi may have needed a break from Barcelona after a tumultuous summer. His trip to South America could have helped clear his mind, as he started in Argentina’s games against Ecuador and Bolivia.
Ansu Fati started in Spain the last two games against Ukraine and Switzerland. Little by little he is consolidating himself in the starting lineups of both Barcelona and his national team. What he needs now is to appear frequently for the Blaugrana and gain more experience in top-notch football, be it at club or international level.
The break was not so good for Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman has come under fire both in Barcelona and now in the Netherlands, where they believe he has not taken any steps forward and has stalled his progress.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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