What lies ahead for Xavi Hernández in the next matches is tremendous. And it is that to the confirmation, as AS was able to know, that Memphis Depay will be out for a minimum month due to a hamstring injury, the decision to postpone the return of Ansu Fati is added, so he will not reappear until 2022. An extremely delicate situation, since with the losses of Braithwaite and Kun Agüero, right now, the Blaugrana coach only has one forward available on the squad: Luuk de Jong.
The decision to postpone the return of Ansu Fati – the striker had planned to reappear on December 18 against Elche – has been agreed between the staff and the player himself. They do not want to take any risks with the young forward and, as Xavi himself announced, he will only return when he is one hundred percent. Hence, despite the initial prognosis was four to six weeks, it will eventually end up being extended to eight weeks. The goal right now is for Fati to be able to play for a few minutes in the first game of 2022, which will be played on January 2 in Mallorca.
It should be remembered that Fati was injured on November 6 during the match against Celta in Vigo. A fortuitous hamstring tear, when the forward was recovering sensations after having been out for seven months due to a meniscal injury, ended up ruining all his planning.
The priority is that both Fati and Pedri return in optimal conditions to help the team. Hence, the return of the two will not be forced, no matter how dramatic the circumstances are., especially in attack where the team has significant casualties.
So much so, that today, Xavi only has Luuk de Jong as a center forward available for the next matches. A situation as anomalous as it is disconcerting: the Dutch attacker has barely had testimonial minutes since Xavi is on the bench, but from now on, he could become the team’s benchmark in attack.