Hansi Flick should really start €30m-rated Barcelona player against Rayo Vallecano – Opinion | OneFootball

When FC Barcelona found themselves in a situation where Pedri and then Frenkie de Jong suffered injuries, they desperately needed someone in the squad to step up and claim that role until the duo returned.

Pedri is back, while Frenkie is in the final stages of his recovery. The player who stepped up and answered the call, though, was none other than Marc Bernal, whose last month in a Barcelona shirt has been frankly ridiculous.

At Sempre Barca, we believe Bernal definitely needs to start against Rayo Vallecano and should not be rested. Hansi Flick has a few selection calls to make against Rayo Vallecano, but this one feels as obvious as it gets.

This is not just about rewarding a young midfielder for decent form. It is about using the right profile for the kind of game Rayo usually create: intense, physical, uncomfortable and often far more chaotic than Barcelona would like.

The €30m-rated teenager can help change that. What makes him such an interesting option is not only his calmness in possession, but also the way he can move the game forward without forcing it. He does not play like a midfielder content to recycle the ball endlessly. There is purpose in his game.

Barcelona cannot afford to get stuck in slow circulation. They need someone who can control the rhythm, but also recognise when the next action has to be vertical. Bernal offers that balance better than many would expect from an 18-year-old.

There is also another part of his game that could be especially useful here: his late runs. Bernal has a real instinct for arriving in dangerous areas at the right moment, and those movements can be difficult to track when opponents are focused on stopping Barcelona’s more obvious threats.

That box presence should not be underestimated. Rayo tend to defend with aggression and numbers around the ball, which means second phases often become decisive. A midfielder who can arrive late, attack loose spaces and sense rebounds can give Barca an extra route to goal.

Just as importantly, Bernal brings structure. Barcelona have at times looked too stretched when games become messy, and Rayo will try to drag them into exactly that kind of contest. Bernal can help keep the team compact, connect phases and stop the match from becoming too broken.

Even though he has had a lot of minutes in his legs, this is a game in which Bernal definitely needs to feature. It remains to be seen whether Hansi Flick starts the teenager against Rayo Vallecano at Spotify Camp Nou.