Mark Casadó has raised a wave of questions within the corridors of Barcelona, due to the noticeable decline in the number of minutes he plays in matches, compared to last season, which witnessed his remarkable brilliance and appearance in the national team ranks.
According to what was published by the Spanish newspaper “AS”, Casadó played 1,727 minutes out of 2,250 minutes between December 2023 and December 2024, which represents 76%. In this season, his balance did not exceed 768 minutes out of 2,160 minutes (36.3%), meaning that his participation rate decreased by approximately 40%.
This decline reflects a new situation experienced by the midfielder, as he has become among the last options that Flick relies on in the pivot position.
In addition to relying primarily on Pedri and De Jong, the German coach gave special attention to Eric Garcia in this position, considering that he enjoys greater tactical stability.
The report indicated that Flick values Casadó’s physical effort and enthusiasm, but he believes that his excessive enthusiasm sometimes leads to him losing his positioning, and asks him to be calmer in making decisions. With Bernal’s physical level improving, Casadó found himself behind him as well, despite Gavi’s continued absence.
Despite the few options available at right-back recently, Flick tried him in this position, despite previously confirming that he sees him as more suitable for the roles of “6” or “8”.
This experiment may open the door of hope for Casadó to get additional playing minutes, but it does not change the fact of the order of priorities for the coach.
Casadó, 22, has a contract that extends until 2028 and has a market value of 25 million euros, and received interest from clubs in the English Premier League last summer.
Flick opposed his departure in the summer, stating: “He does not want to leave, and I do not want him to,” based on his positive role within the team and his constant presence as a backup option capable of providing the required performance.
