It has not been a great year for Gerard Pique. The Barcelona veteran has been a subject of various controversies off the pitch, including his alleged involvement in the Spanish Supercopa negotiations with Saudi Arabia.
The defender also split with his long-time partner Shakira, while struggling with injuries throughout the entirety of the last stage of the 2021/22 campaign.
Pique had initially picked up a knock in the first round Europa League fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt. A tear in the abductor muscle saw him miss almost the remainder of the 2021/22 campaign, with his only appearance since coming against Mallorca.
Barcelona team doctors have taken great caution when it comes to the recovery of Pique, knowing his age may not help him in his path to full fitness.
However, after months of recovery, it appears Pique is slowly nearing 100 percent fitness. According to Javi Miguel, the veteran might even be fit to start in the upcoming match against Cadiz.
Pique has been on the bench in the first four matches of the new season. He was not preferred ahead of the likes of Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde, for both sporting and fitness reasons.
But the 35-year-old looks set to be handed a rare starting opportunity when Barcelona take on Cadiz this weekend. His introduction to the starting eleven could be a part of Xavi’s plans to rotate the squad, especially in light of a midweek UEFA Champions League contest against Viktoria Plzen.
From a tactical perspective, Pique could ideally start ahead of Eric Garcia on the left hand side of the central defence. His experience and ability to play the ball out from the back should complement the more physically robust figure of Ronald Araujo.
However, after a run of two back-to-back clean sheets in La Liga, there is no margin for error for Pique and any poor performance from the veteran could see him potentially lose his status in the first team. He may even fall behind in the pecking order, especially with the new signings starting the season on a positive note.
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