Stats prove best Barcelona defensive partnership doesn’t include Ronald Araujo | OneFootball

There are certain players at FC Barcelona who are always considered guaranteed starters no matter what. Either due to their history at the club or simply their undeniable quality, certain players tend to get that privilege. However, no matter how good a player is at Barcelona, there is always a sense of merit behind the selections.

For that exact reason, even the players returning from injury will have to earn their place in the starting eleven again. Even without several key players, Hansi Flick has managed to coach this Barcelona team into becoming a well-drilled machine using the players he already has.

However, as more and more players return from injury, competition for starting spots will increase as well. One player whose return is expected to shake up a lot of things is Ronald Araujo, Barça’s 25-year-old captain and one of the world’s finest centre-backs.

Yet, his return to the starting eleven may end up being much more complicated than most people would think. As highlighted by SPORT, it would appear that Hansi Flick has already found a defensive partnership that produces better numbers than any pairing that Araujo has been a part of so far.

According to the statistical data provided, the strongest Barcelona pairing that would be available after Araujo makes his return would still be the one made up of Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi. Both the veteran and young Spaniards currently make up Barça’s most effective defensive pairing with 21 games played together, 17 goals conceded, and 2.62 points earned per game.

In second is where Ronald Araujo enters the picture, and that too alongside Inigo Martinez. The Uruguayan defender has played with Martinez on 14 different occasions, conceded 13 goals, and earned 2.36 points per game. Then, alongside Pau Cubarsi, Araujo has played 12 games, conceded 29 goals, and they have managed to earn only 1.87 points per game.

These numbers paint a clear picture, and while it can be said that they highlight just how important Inigo Martinez is to the team, they also highlight Ronald Araujo’s shortcomings. So while he may be a key player for the Catalan club, he will definitely face his challenges in terms of finding his way back to the Barcelona starting eleven.