Barcelona Have High Hopes for 30-Year-Old Defender After Injury-Riddled Season

Barcelona have made it clear that they still have significant faith in Andreas Christensen despite the defender’s difficult injury history.

The Catalan club took a calculated gamble during the summer by handing the Danish centre-back a new two-year contract, despite the 30-year-old having endured several injury setbacks in recent seasons.

Barcelona went even further by allowing Ronald Araújo and Alvaro Cortés to leave, increasing the importance of Christensen within Hansi Flick’s defensive plans.

According to Catalunya Radio, people within the club “like Christensen and value him very highly,” while Barça continue to have “great hopes” for the experienced defender.

Barcelona Still Believe in Christensen

Christensen’s ability has rarely been questioned during his time at Barcelona.

The major concern has consistently been his availability.

When fit and fully integrated into the team, the Danish international offers many of the qualities Barcelona want from a modern centre-back. He is composed when playing out from the back, comfortable in possession and experienced at the highest level.

His performances have also generally been reliable, with few occasions in which his individual errors have proved costly for Barcelona.

Now that he appears to have moved beyond his recent injury problems, the club want him to demonstrate his full value throughout the season.

His return could be particularly important for Flick, who now has greater flexibility in central defence. Christensen can rotate with Pau Cubarsí or form a partnership alongside the young defender without significantly altering Barcelona’s style.

A Crucial Season for Christensen

Barcelona do not appear to view Christensen merely as squad depth.

Instead, the club see the Dane as an important part of their plans for both the current campaign and the future.

The defender does not need to completely reinvent his game to win back Barcelona’s confidence. The club already knows his strengths and understands what he can contribute when healthy.

The biggest challenge is maintaining that level consistently across an entire season without another major physical setback.

So far, Christensen has made an encouraging start to the campaign.

If he can finally put together a full season without significant injury problems, Barcelona could benefit from having an experienced and technically reliable option at the heart of their defence.