Barcelona’s first selection dilemmas arrive in midfield ahead of Valencia clash

Barcelona’s first selection dilemmas arrive in midfield ahead of Valencia clash FC Barcelona have built a competitive squad across the pitch, after an excellent summer transfer window, with quality options in all positions. But nowhere is the depth of talent more impressive than in the double pivot. With four high-quality options now available, Hansi Flick faces his first difficult selection decisions of the season, reports MARCA . Four players competing for two places Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal and Rodri are all now fit and available, leaving Flick with two positions to fill in the heart of midfield. Gavi returned to training on Thursday after recovering from the knock he suffered in Barcelona’s opening La Liga fixture against Elche. He completed another full session with the group today. Rodri, meanwhile, has been building up his fitness and match rhythm, playing 27 minutes against Athletic Club and 26 against Rayo Vallecano, slowly getting ready for a bigger role. Rodri is ready while Bernal is also impressing. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Bernal is the only one of the four to have featured in all three of Barcelona’s opening league matches. He started each game, although he was substituted before the final whistle on every occasion. Pedri did not start against Elche because he joined Barcelona’s preparations later than his teammates following his involvement at the World Cup. But in the two most recent fixtures, Bernal started alongside Pedri before making way for Rodri. But with Gavi back in training and Rodri building up his workload steadily, Flick now has all four options available for Sunday’s trip to take on Valencia. Each player brings different qualities to the team. Flick’s preferred pairing over the course of the season appears to be Pedri and Rodri, with their technical ability, control and leadership particularly suited to his style. Gavi has recovered from injury. (Photo by Francisco Macia/Getty Images) But Gavi and Bernal have already shown that they are more than capable of competing for those positions. Rodri could be saved for the Champions League Flick has not yet finalised his starting XI for Valencia and will wait until the final training session before making his decision. The German coach could even choose to give Rodri a few more days to build his rhythm before naming him in the starting XI . That could mean pairing him with Pedri for Barcelona’s demanding Champions League opener next Wednesday, when Feyenoord visit the Spotify Camp Nou. The season is long and Flick is expected to give all four midfielders significant opportunities. For now, though, he must begin making difficult choices. Pedri and Rodri may have the strongest claim to the starting positions in the long term, but Gavi’s energy and versatility and Bernal’s development and consistency give Flick two excellent alternatives.