Flick Stands Firm on Barcelona's Rodri Workload Strategy Amid New Injury Scare

Hansi Flick dismissed any suggestion that his handling of Rodri's playing time contributed to the midfielder's latest injury, insisting that he "communicated with the player" and "managed everything, every minute" that he was on the field.

Rodri picked up a hamstring problem in their most recent outing against Aston Villa in the Champions League, ruling him out of Sunday's massive showdown with Atlético Madrid, where Barcelona's place at the top of La Liga is on the line.

Many observers pointed to Rodri's limited rest during the early part of the season as a possible contributing factor to his injury, with Flick drawing criticism for not giving him more breaks in matches against weaker sides. Ahead of the Atlético fixture, Flick strongly defended his approach to managing Rodri's minutes.

"You can always do things better," Flick acknowledged. "But in this case, I fully communicated with the player, and we managed everything, every minute that he was on the pitch."

"When I speak with an experienced player and ask, 'What do you think about your minutes, and how should we handle it?' and we reach an agreement, I don't think there's much else you can do. That's how I see it."

"Of course, looking back at the outcome, you might say, 'Maybe we should have done this or that differently,' but ultimately, it's done and it's in the past. It doesn't matter anymore."

Could Barcelona Have Managed Rodri's Minutes Better?

Having missed the season opener while recovering from back surgery, Rodri has appeared in each of Barcelona's last 14 matches across all competitions, earning starts in 11 of the last 12.

Curiously, the one game Rodri didn't start was the Champions League encounter against Paris Saint-Germain, which ended Barcelona's perfect run to begin the season — though he still came on for the final 30 minutes.

Midfield is arguably Barcelona's most well-stocked position, yet Flick has largely avoided rotating his double-pivot, with Pedri and Rodri starting together in 10 of the last 12 games. By contrast, Marc Bernal and Gavi have combined for just two midfield starts during that stretch.

Rodri's hamstring issue isn't necessarily a direct consequence of his workload, particularly given that he's only played the full 90 minutes in six games this season. That said, considering how dominant Barcelona have been in most of their wins and the depth available in midfield, it's difficult to argue that a more cautious approach to his minutes early in the campaign wouldn't have been warranted.

Barcelona Players With the Most Minutes in 2026–27

Flick Still Unsure About Rodri's Replacement

Regardless of what might have been done differently, as Flick himself noted, it's all in the past now. The reality is that Rodri will be absent against Atlético, leaving Flick with a significant call to make over who lines up alongside Pedri at the Metropolitano.

Frenkie de Jong has returned from injury and is widely expected to start, though Marc Bernal has frequently stepped in for Rodri this season, and Gavi remains another option. When pressed on whether the Dutchman would be in the starting lineup on Sunday, Flick admitted he hadn't yet made up his mind — or at least wasn't tipping his hand early.

"No, I haven't decided," Flick revealed. "It's always good to sleep on it one more night. We know the quality of him [De Jong], but we also know the quality of Berni, and Berni has done really, very well in the games he's featured in — I really appreciate what he brings."

"Frenkie perhaps has more experience," Flick continued. "But on the ball, both of them have the confidence and conviction to contribute a great deal. Berni has been excellent off the ball too — he knows exactly where he needs to be. Like I said, I'm really pleased with him."

"But I'm also glad that Frenkie is back and you can see in training that he's at 100%. So we need to find the right starting XI. That's something we'll be working through later today or tomorrow."

Getting this decision right will be pivotal for Barcelona in what is a defining fixture. Victory would put them three points clear at the summit of the La Liga table, while a defeat would drop them behind Atlético Madrid and leave them level on points with Real Madrid heading into the November international break.