Barcelona’s packed October schedule could be key for Ansu Fati’s World Cup hopes

Ansi Fati became a point of contention earlier this week when the Barcelona winger was excluded from Luis Enrique’s Spain squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches.

Enrique cited his lack of game-time and fitness as grounds for omitting him from the squad that features the likes of Yeremy Pino and Pablo Sarabia.

The decision came would have come as a shock to Fati, considering that he was named in the last call-up by Enrique. But following the exclusion, the attacker has his work cut out as he looks to get into the Spanish team ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Interestingly, despite Fati’s apparent lack of game-time, he is the only Barcelona player to have featured in all of the 15 friendly and competitive matches that have been played so far, as part of the 2022/23 campaign.

Xavi has appeared cautious when it comes to utilising the qualities of Fati, keeping in mind, his issues with injuries in the past. But in recent weeks, Fati has been handed more action, with the winger racking up 225 minutes of football in all competitions so far.

Only Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha have featured more among Barcelona’s attackers than Fati this season. And as the season progresses, the 19-year-old will be hoping to get himself more and more into Barça’s attacking setup.

The upcoming fixture run in October could be crucial to Fati’s chances of not only finding prominence in the Barcelona team but also breaking into the Spanish side for the World Cup.

After the international break comes to an end, Barcelona are set to resume their campaign with a league encounter against RCD Mallorca before they lock horns with Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League.

They are set to play two games per week until mid-November, with games against the likes of Villarreal, Athletic Club, Real Madrid and Valencia lined up in La Liga over the next month while they will also play Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

This stretch could be important for Fati, who must prove his worth by displacing someone like Raphinha. Xavi will need to rotate his troops regularly given the quick turnaround in between matches and the La Masia ace could see increased minutes as a result of it.

The youngster has shown a lot of promise with regard to his understanding on the pitch with new signing Robert Lewandowski, and as the season progresses, it will be interesting to see whether or not the explosive winger can continue his development.