Barcelona relieved that key defender barely featured in his national’s team latest match

Barcelona had ten players on international duty in the recently concluded hiatus from club football. Needless to say, there was significant concern in the club offices over any further injuries that could hamper Xavi Hernandez’s plans for the coming weeks.

It is safe to say that the Blaugranas have escaped the international window with minimal damage. Alejandro Balde’s mild injury is indeed an unfortunate development, but the rest of the team’s players came out unscathed despite playing significant spells.

Barcelona breathe a sigh of relief over the defender

According to reports from SPORT, Barcelona are especially happy with the situation of Andreas Christensen. The Danish defender played the team’s full 90 minutes against Kazakhstan.

Yet, to the Azulgranas’ delight, he was rested in the team’s second game against San Marino and played just one minute.

This comes as a big boost to the manager’s plans, for Christensen has been one of the team’s most reliable performers in recent times.

The unexpected rest puts him in contention for a starting berth against Athletic Club later this week, alongside Inigo Martinez, given that Ronald Araujo will be the last to return to training after Uruguay’s match against Brazil.

With Jules Kounde out injured, Christensen will take up the starting position beside Araujo for the coming games including El Clasico.

Heavy workload for other internationals

While Balde’s international break was cut short for fitness reasons and Christensen was rewarded with much-needed rest, the majority of the internationals from Barcelona did not share such luxury.

Ferran Torres accumulated a total of 161 minutes under his belt over two games, ensuring EURO qualification for his side. His compatriot and teammate, Gavi, recorded 169 minutes.

In the Portuguese camp, the Catalans had Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo see a cumulative of 104 and 180 minutes respectively.

Both players played critical roles in their team’s qualification, with Cancelo scoring one goal and Felix recording a goal and an assist.

Araujo did not get a second of rest in either of Uruguay’s two gruelling games. Ilkay Gundogan and Marc-Andre ter Stegen sailed the same boat and played all 180 minutes for the German national team.