The Spanish international midfielder Rodri is slated to start on the bench as Barcelona host Athletic Club at the Camp Nou in their second fixture of the 2026-27 LaLiga season. The playmaker is steadily building up his match readiness following his high-profile summer transfer to Catalonia.
The 29-year-old missed the club’s impressive season-opening 5-0 victory against ElCHE entirely. His arrival in Spain was formalized following an extended post-World Cup vacation and a recovery period from a minor back procedure, leaving him with only a handful of training sessions under his belt. Hansi Flick opted to keep him out of the matchday squad entirely rather than rushing him back too early.
However, after completing a full week of normal training sessions with the first team, Rodri is now ready to be included in the substitutes squad. The tactical plan is for the former Manchester City anchor to see action in the second half, marking his official competitive debut for the Blaugrana.
Flick carefully manages squad workload post-World Cup
With several core players still recuperating from a deep run at the 2026 World Cup, manager Hansi Flick has continued to carefully oversee his squad’s physical workloads. The German tactician has prioritized gradual rotation over immediate full-match minutes for key figures returning to club football.
International stars such as Jules Kounde, Joao Cancelo, Dani Olmo, and Anthony Gordon all featured heavily in the tournament’s latter stages. Flick has managed their minutes systematically, rotating them in and out of starting lineups as part of a pre-planned strategy to maintain squad fitness.
“It is normal that the players who played in the World Cup don’t play the full 90 minutes, though they may have to play a few minutes. You have to manage the minutes, and it isn’t easy,” Flick stated during a recent press conference. This measured philosophy extends directly to how the coaching staff is facilitating Rodri’s transition back into competitive match action.
