Riqui Puig is one of the nine outfield players with a first-team record that Xavi Hernández has available for this Sunday’s game in Mallorca, along with Piqué, Araujo, Mingueza, Eric Garcia, Lenglet, Umtiti, Frenkie de Jong and Luuk de Jong and except for surprise, he will start against the Balearic team. With Nico, with a subsidiary file but already one more from the first team, and Frenkie de Jong is in fact one of only three Barça’s available midfielders, not counting the reinforcements of the subsidiary, so his presence in the starting eleven, which will also be the first of this season, it is almost certain.
Nor with Koeman until he was dismissed after the defeat in Vallecas, nor in the three games with Sergi Barjuan as an interim technician, nor with Xavi Hernandez, Riqui has started this course. So far, it adds up to a total of ten games played, nine in the league and one in the Champions League, and 220 minutes. Is he only player with a first team token who has not yet acted at the start this season.
10 matches played
At the orders of the Dutch coach, with whom he started four times last season and participated in 24 games, this season he added four games played: Against Granada (1-1, 16 minutes), in Cádiz (0-0, 10 minutes), against Levante (3-1, 31 minutes) and at Wanda Metropolitano (2-0, 15 minutes). With Barjuan played in the two days league in which Les Franqueses occupied the bench, against Alavés (1-1, 15 minutes) and Celta (3-3, 31 minutes) and already with Xavi, has acted in four of the eight games played, against Espanyol (1-0, 12 minutes), Betis (0-1, 54 minutes) and Elche (3-2, 14 minutes), all at the Camp Nou, in addition to the Champions League against Bayern (3 -0, 17 minutes).
Although due to the numerous casualties, Riqui Puig, who has always made it very clear that his dream is to triumph at Barça, has the opportunity to start in this first game of 2022.
Riqui Puig, this season
10 games played and 220 minutes
WITH KOEMAN (4 games and 72 minutes):
Barça-Granada (1-1): 16 minutes
Barça-Cádiz (0-0): 10 minutes
Barça-Levante (3-0): 31 minutes
Atlético-Barça (2-0): 15 minutes
WITH SERGI BARJUAN (2 games and 51 minutes):
Barça-Alavés (1-1): 20 minutes
Celta-Barça (3-3): 31 minutes
WITH XAVI (4 games and 97 minutes):
Barça-Espanyol (1-1): 12 minutes
Barça-Betis (0-1): 54 minutes
Barça-Elche (3-2): 14 minutes
Bayern-Barça (3-0): 17 minutes
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