After Barça suffered two consecutive defeats, Hansi Flick must make changes. The biggest change to Barça’s squad this season is the departure of Iñigo Martínez. For this position (centre-back), Eric García, Ronald Araujo, and Andreas Christensen have all rotated in appearances.
Among them, the 29-year-old Danish centre-back Christensen has put in solid performances in recent matches, but he has not yet secured a starting role in key games—he has been a substitute behind Eric García and Araujo. However, Araujo performed poorly in the match against Sevilla, which has made Christensen likely to start in Barça’s next game against Girona. And who knows? Maybe he will also have a chance to make the starting lineup for the El Clásico on October 26.
Unlike his situation at Barça, Christensen is indispensable for the Danish national team—he started in all three of Denmark’s World Cup Qualifiers. In last night’s match against Belarus, the defender delivered one of his best performances in the past two years. His defense was impeccable: he was never dribbled past by opponents, completed 2 interceptions and 6 successful tackles. Additionally, he provided an assist following an exquisite link-up play and achieved a pass accuracy rate as high as 96%.
Since Flick took charge of Barça, persistent fitness issues have prevented Christensen from featuring consistently. But now that the Danish player has fully recovered and showcased a high level of play with the national team, coupled with Barça’s recent defensive problems, Christensen is knocking on the door of the starting lineup, hoping to partner Jules Koundé at centre-back.
