Barcelona defender fails to make a good case for himself since his return from injury | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are currently in a position this season where they cannot afford to lose concentration. They have progressed well across all the competitions in which they are competing, and they have looked dominant as well. However, Barcelona are now expected to keep up that quality.

For the team to do that, however, each player must perform their duty effectively and efficiently. Any player that fails to do that is a liability within Hansi Flick’s system and the German coach cannot afford to give second chances again and again at this point.

That also applies to the defensive line of the team, which is built on a very aggressive high-line system. Hansi Flick has insisted on it since the start of the season, and as the players grew more and more accustomed to it, they have now managed to almost perfect it.

However, while there are players like Inigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi, and even Eric Garcia to an extend, who have showcased an exceptional ability to execute that tactic, there is an opposite side of things as well. For Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo, however, there is more a note of caution rather than success.

According to AS, the Uruguayan defender’s recent mistakes have become an issue that Hansi Flick and Deco must address. In around half the games that the centre-back has played, he has ultimately ended up costing the team in some crucial moments despite the positive results.

Since making his return from his long-term injury in January, the Uruguayan defender has played in eight games for Barcelona. However, it seems to be clear that he has not been as effective as other defenders when it comes to executing the offside trap, often being sluggish in his positioning, despite talking about the way he has been working behind the scenes to adapt to it.

Following his renewal until 2031, the initial signs were promising. After a solid display against Real Madrid and then continuing that kind of a dominant performance against Real Betis, things were looking good. However, then came the game against SL Benfica, and it clearly showcased just how vulnerable he could be.

Beyond just the own goal he scored, his positioning was not always right in some instance when the opposition attacked. For the offside trap to work properly, the execution has to be almost flawless, and Araujo simply cannot produce that right now.

Against Atalanta, he was just as sluggish and that match ended in a 2-2 draw for Barça. However, Flick did not want to continue that trend of seeing haphazard displays in defense while also seeing Araujo’s ball progression not finding too much success. Thus, against Deportivo Alaves, he was taken off at half-time for Eric Garcia, and the latter managed to help the team improve once he came on.

Now, in his most recent game against Sevilla, the player was once again caught sleeping right after Barça had managed to take the lead. Soon after, however, the player had to be taken off due to an injury. Fortunately, however, a recent report has now claimed that it was just a scare and the player could even be back for the next game.

Unfortunately for Araujo, however, he has not made a good case for himself so far. Both Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi have proven to be much more capable in terms of doing what Hansi Flick needs from his defenders, and the Uruguayan’s starting place is not as concrete as he may have thought it would be.