Flick growing concerned about the injury problems piling up at Barcelona – report

Last night, in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg against Atletico Madrid, Barcelona not only failed to complete the comeback but also lost two key starters to injury: Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde.

Kounde, who went down after just ten minutes, suffered a tear in the biceps femoris of his left leg and could be sidelined for four to five weeks, although the Blaugrana have not officially confirmed the timeline.

Balde, who came on to replace Kounde, also sustained a hamstring injury in his left leg and is set to miss around four weeks, a timeframe that the Catalans confirmed.

Flick worried about the number of injuries

Now, according to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is starting to grow concerned about the number of muscle injuries in the team.

So far this season, ten first-team players have suffered muscle injuries, some even experiencing relapses.

Those affected include: Balde, Kounde, Frenkie de Jong, Fermin Lopez, Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, Pedri, Raphinha, and Lamine Yamal.

Concerned. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)

The worrying detail for Flick is that most of the muscle injuries have affected key starters who accumulate the most minutes. As such, the German tactician has grown concerned about the situation.

The 61-year-old manager wants to determine whether the problem could be linked to warm-up routines, training load, or general physical preparation.

Speaking to the media after the 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid last night, Flick admitted his worries, saying:

“It’s not normal, and I’m not happy. Things need to be improved. We need to talk to the doctors and the fitness coaches about how to prevent three players from getting injured in a single week.”

This comes amidst reports claiming that the Barcelona locker room is having doubts about the methods employed by fitness coach Julio Tous.

With the season entering its final phase, it becomes hugely important that Barça find a way to address the problem as losing key players at this stage could prove costly.