Flick explains decision to bench Barcelona mainstay vs PSG: ‘Have to look after our players’

Flick explains decision to bench Barcelona mainstay vs PSG: ‘Have to look after our players’ Speaking to the media ahead of FC Barcelona’s UEFA Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain, manager Hansi Flick has explained the decision to leave key midfielder Rodri out of the starting lineup . In what came as a major surprise, the 30-year-old Spanish international was benched by the Barça head coach, with Marc Bernal being chosen as his replacement. Why Rodri was benched Considering that the Blaugrana are playing one of the best teams in Europe in PSG, that too away from home, having an experienced presence like Rodri on the field would have been extremely beneficial. But Flick has revealed that he opted to remove the 2026 FIFA World Cup winner from the lineup in order to ‘look after’ him, all but confirming reports that the midfielder is not at his 100%. “We have to look after all our players, including the internationals. Rodri has played the last three matches, so we’ve decided he’ll start on the bench,” he said, as quoted by SPORT . Rodri on the bench vs PSG. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images) Rodri has played in ten of Barcelona’s 11 matches so far this season, and had started eight games in a row for the club prior to tonight’s encounter. That, coupled with his workload for the Spanish national team during the international break, wherein he played in each of their four games, starting three, was bound to have an impact. So, Flick & co. decided not to risk burning out their ace midfielder, especially with El Clasico against Real Madrid coming up on Sunday. Trust in Bernal, Martin At the same time, Flick expressed his confidence in Marc Bernal to step up and deliver for Barcelona tonight against the PSG midfield trio of Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, and Joao Neves. “We’re counting on Marc Bernal,” the Barcelona coach added. Gerard Martin starts despite concerns over his fitness. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images) Another key decision that Flick made was to go with Gerard Martin as Pau Cubarsi’s centre-back partner, after the Spaniard suffered from discomfort picked up during the weekend clash against Real Betis. Explaining the versatile defender’s selection, the German manager noted: “We didn’t have many other options in this position either.” After all, Barcelona came into the game without Eric Garcia, Jules Kounde, and Andreas Christensen, leaving them short-handed in defence. As for the game and how it could be played out between Europe’s two top teams, Flick remarked: “Both teams will be looking to keep possession and create chances on the break. The important thing is not to lose the ball, to maintain our spacing and to stay compact.”