Five reinforcements coming for Ronald Koeman

The international break comes at a great time for FC Barcelona. Ronald Koeman's team, with two consecutive defeats and going through the worst moment of their season, will now have time for reflection to return with renewed energy in a fortnight. In addition, during the next two weeks, the coach will recover the players that have been injured.

Barcelona’s tailspin has been stopped by the national team, a parenthesis that was always analysed in the past as a setback for cutting positive dynamics short. Now, however, the reading is quite different: although Ronald Koeman, confirmed ‘in extremis’, has not ended the hemorrhage of poor results, the break, at least, will stop it for two weeks.

During this time, in addition to delving into the reasons for the crisis his team is going through, the Barcelona coach will recover four injured players, Pedri, Sergio Agüero, Jordi Alba and Ousmane Dembélé, and will incorporate another, Ansu Fati, to one hundred percent fitness, after participating in the final stages of games against Levante, Benfica and Atlético.

For players not going on international duty, the next two weeks will be like a pre-season stage, to be able to recover their form and physical tone and return to action in the best possible condition.

Pedri relapsed with his quads muscle injury in Benfica-Barça on September 29 and could not face Atlético. The Canarian, who came from a marathon 2020-21 season, with Barça and the Spanish team, with which he played the European Championship and the Olympic Games, ended up paying the price for such an effort with an injury and now a relapse.

Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero will also be ready to debut on Sunday 17 at the Camp Nou against Valencia. The Argentine was injured at the beginning of August (tendon injury in the inner calf) and the time of absence was calculated then at ten weeks.

Jordi Alba, despite entering the squad against Atlético, did not play any minute at the Wanda. He will also have more time to overcome the hamstring injury to his right thigh that he suffered at Barça-Bayern Munich on 14 September.

Ousmane Dembélé, for his part, who underwent surgery on June 28 in Turku (Finland) by Dr. Lasse Lempainen for an injury to his right knee, will complete the planned four-month absence and, little by little, will be able to start working with the group, although his expected return will be in November.

Ansu Fati, who returned to play on September 26 after more than 10 months in the dry dock, will be in full condition to start in two weeks. The fact that he has not been called up by the Spanish team will help him to continue working at his own pace.