A bad patch with significant consequences. Excluded against Chelsea in the Champions League, Ronald Araujo once again weighed down FC Barcelona in an important meeting. He knows it, the problems he encounters on the pitch are a real problem, both for him and for his team. He doesn’t understand how his head can sometimes “unplug” in the middle of a match. This time, it was one mistake too many and he himself asked Hansi Flick to put him back, while he regained his mental energy. “ Ronald is not ready to play. This is a private situation and I will not say more. I ask you to respect this », explained the German coach.
Very religious, the Uruguayan went on a spiritual retreat to Israel. It is there that he finds the need to disconnect, to concentrate on the essentials, to work on himself. He has the support of a lot of people in the industry, knowing the constraints of a life as a high-level athlete, always subject to a lot of pressure from the media and the public. The defender is due to return to training at FC Barcelona on January 3, but what condition will he be in? This is the great unknown. Will he be available to play? Will he need more time? And what should his team do, who also cannot do without him forever, when he is among the highest earners at the club?
Barça wants to be optimistic
The situation is not easy to manage for the Blaugrana management. On a bone or muscle injury, a recovery time can be defined, but on a mental problem, it is simply impossible to speculate. The club is still trying to develop plans according to Mundo Deportivo and prefers to stay positive. We want to believe in his return to competition. He is one of the team’s captains and a very popular player in the locker room. This would also avoid having to reinforce this position in the transfer window where names have already started to appear here and there. But it’s always the same at Barça, we lack resources.
To help Araujo return smoothly, management would rather like to bring in a young, inexpensive defender who does not claim a starting place right away. There would be less pressure to assume for himself, and for the Uruguayan, who is still being put in the way of a competitor since a left-hander is desired. The Celeste international (25 caps, one goal) is certainly right-handed, he plays most of the time in the left axis of the central hinge. All this is written in a scenario that MD he himself describes as “ optimistic “. Only the mental condition of the player can decide.
