Untouchable – Barcelona versatile star the only player to feature in all 24 games this season | OneFootball

FC Barcelona kickstarted their Copa del Rey defence with a hard-earned victory over CD Guadalajara in the Round of 32 on Tuesday night.

Manager Hansi Flick decided to ring in the changes for the cup tie, fielding an unusual-looking starting lineup against the third-division club.

Yet, there was one player, who has become untouchable in the lineup, who featured from the start and proved his worth once again with his reliability and versatility – Eric Garcia.

Hansi Flick’s most trusted lieutenant

Once again irreplaceable, Garcia is the only player to have featured in all 24 official matches for Barcelona this season.

With 1,861 minutes under his belt this term, the 24-year-old Spaniard is the most-utilised player in this Barcelona squad.

What makes him so much more valuable is the versatility he offers on the field – delivering strong performances at right-back, centre-back, or defensive midfield.

Untouchable. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

On Tuesday night, in Guadalajara, he started in the heart of the defence alongside goalscorer Andreas Christensen. From the back, the Spaniard organised the team as usual and even came close to scoring from his own half.

After the half-time break, Garcia found himself moving to the right-back position as Flick opted to substitute Marc Bernal for Pau Cubarsi and move Marc Casado to midfield.

The 24-year-old versatile star was in control of proceedings on the right side of the defence as well, effecting some important defensive actions while trying to help the team break open the Guadalajara rearguard.

Later on, when Jules Kounde came on, Garcia was then repositioned to the defensive midfield role, where he once again excelled, helping Barça see the game out after Andreas Christensen had scored the opening goal.

Against Guadalajara, the 24-year-old defender, who recently renewed his contract, showed he is essentially a 3-in-1 player for the Barça head coach.

The fact that Garcia is the only Barcelona player to have featured in all of the team’s 24 matches this season (21 starts) shows the amount of trust Flick places in him, as well as indicates the level of his performances.