Pedri Gonz\u00e1lez<\/strong> seemed to clear the path for him to be in the German coach’s starting XI.<\/p> The ‘8’ missed the last five games due to a left thigh injury from which he has not yet recovered. In that span, Casad\u00f3 only completed 90 minutes in the victory against Elche (3-1), while in the draw against Bruges (3-3) he was replaced in the 58th minute.<\/p>
On Saturday, against Athletic, **Flick opted for Eric Garc\u00eda as the pivot** and Dani Olmo as an interior midfielder, although Marc was physically fit to play and **Frenkie de Jong** was absent due to suspension. Upon returning to Spotify Camp Nou, the 22-year-old midfielder **came on in the 64th minute for Ferm\u00edn L\u00f3pez** with the match already decided against a Basque team with ten men due to Sancet’s expulsion.<\/p>
The substitute role at Stamford Bridge, a message from Flick to Casad\u00f3?<\/h2>
Against Chelsea, the Bar\u00e7a coach once again opted for Eric in midfield, this time alongside De Jong. The Catalan midfield was clearly outplayed at Stamford Bridge, especially Frenkie, who made several serious errors in possession.<\/p>
Despite Ronald Araujo’s early expulsion, which forced Garc\u00eda to move back to the center of defense in the second half, Flick kept Casad\u00f3 on the bench. With Bar\u00e7a already two goals down, Andreas Christensen was the chosen one to reassemble a midfield broken by the numerical disadvantage.The Dane came on for Ferm\u00edn in the 62nd minute. Later, in the 80th, **Dani Olmo** did the same, replacing Lamine Yamal. **Marcus Rashford, Raphinha, and Gerard Mart\u00edn** were the other changes chosen by the German, none of them capable of reversing the poor game played by Bar\u00e7a.<\/p>
Casad\u00f3, for his part, remained on the bench for the fifth time this season and is beginning to fear for his prominence in Barcelona. Only **Marc Bernal** has played less than him among midfielders (48 minutes), which is normal considering the recovery process the Berga native is still undergoing.<\/p>
Bar\u00e7a-Alav\u00e9s, possibly the last train for Marc Casad\u00f3<\/h2>