Koundé, Lamine Yamal, Frenkie de Jong... The international break 'stresses' several Barça players

The FC Barcelona is beginning to notice, with some concern, how several of its players are facing a tremendously frantic competition rhythm in terms of accumulated minutes. It is important to consider that many of them, in addition to the considerable amount of minutes played with the blue and garnet team, also accumulate kilometers due to their participation with their respective national teams.

During this international break in March, a significant amount of minutes played can be observed. The most striking case is undoubtedly that of Héctor Fort, as the Barcelona full-back, who was at the service of the Spanish U-19 national team, faced a total of commitments (U-19 European Championship) in which the national coach Paco Gallardo chose to start him in each of them, thus adding a total of 228 minutes of action.

At the same time, another of the most notable cases was that of Jules Koundé, the right-back, current leader in minutes played with the FC Barcelona this season 2024-25, accumulating a total of 3,541'.

In this FIFA date, Koundé played a couple of matches in the UEFA Nations League (including the playoff against Croatia to secure their ticket to the 'Final Four'), without being substituted in any of them. In this regard, he added a total of 210' of play.

Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, and Frenkie de Jong: other culés who saw plenty of minutes during this international break

However, Fort and Jules were not the only players from FC Barcelona who had to face a significant load of minutes during this international break. It is relevant to mention the case of Lamine Yamal, who with Spain accumulated a total of 186 minutes, with 66' in the first leg and 120 in the return leg of the quarterfinal playoff of the UEFA Nations League against the Netherlands.

In that same series, for example, Frenkie de Jong totaled 179 minutes (74 in the first leg and 105 in the return leg).

Likewise, we cannot overlook the case of Raphinha, who had a rather bitter FIFA date in March. The Porto Alegre native added a total of 180 minutes, including 90' against Colombia, where he was decisive in the victory by scoring the first goal and assisting in the second, in the 2-1 victory of the 'verdeamarela'. And of course, he also played the full 90' in the fateful 4-1 defeat against Argentina at the Monumental.

The azulgrana internationals must now resume an intense schedule with FC Barcelona

This wear and tear is something to consider for a group of players preparing to resume a demanding schedule with FC Barcelona. Starting Thursday, March 27, when they face CA Osasuna in LaLiga EA Sports, the culé team will begin an important streak of matches every 72 hours, scheduled until April 15, the date on which the Barça will finally enjoy a week without activity before their next match. This intense rhythm will test the demonstrated ability of Hansi Flick and his coaching staff to manage player loads and preserve their physical condition in the best possible way.

📅 Upcoming matches for FC Barcelona:

• FC Barcelona - CA Osasuna (Matchday 27 of LaLiga) - 27/03
• FC Barcelona - Girona (Matchday 29 of LaLiga) - 30/03
• Atlético de Madrid - FC Barcelona (semifinals of the Copa del Rey) - 02/04
• FC Barcelona - Real Betis (Matchday 30 of LaLiga) - 05/04
• FC Barcelona - Borussia Dortmund (first leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League) - 09/04
• CD Leganés - FC Barcelona (Matchday 31 of LaLiga) - 12/04
• Borussia Dortmund - FC Barcelona (return leg of the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League) - 15/04