I Think Barca Is About to Make a Great Mistake

Barcelona may be treading dangerous ground once again—and this time, the mistake might haunt them for seasons to come. The club, known for its artistic possession-based style, seems to be undervaluing something that is increasingly essential in modern football: physical dominance, grit, and assertiveness in the midfield.

Recent reports suggest that Barcelona might be considering moving on from players with the kind of tenacity and raw midfield bite that the likes of Pablo Gavi and Marc Casadó bring to the table. If true, this would represent a serious error in judgment. In a team already packed with technical talent, the importance of players who can battle, win duels, and impose themselves cannot be overstated.

Gavi and Casadó stand out in a midfield that is, by and large, too elegant and soft to survive the rigors of high-intensity, high-stakes football against the continent’s toughest opponents. These two players bring a necessary balance of aggressiveness, energy, and fight to a squad that is otherwise dominated by delicate passers and tacticians.

In modern football, being physically dominant in the middle of the park is no longer optional—it’s crucial. Games are won and lost in the midfield trenches. We saw this clearly when Chelsea defeated Paris Saint-Germain in a recent encounter. It wasn’t just flair or tactical discipline that gave Chelsea the upper hand. It was the midfield engine room, led by Moisés Caicedo and Reece James, that controlled the game. Their pressing, tackling, and ability to recover balls quickly gave Chelsea the platform to succeed.

Barcelona, on the other hand, often relies too heavily on finesse and positional play, forgetting that possession means nothing if you’re being outmuscled. Casadó is one of the few players in the squad who mirrors that rugged defensive presence that Barcelona once enjoyed with the likes of Yaya Touré and Seydou Keita. His presence ensures that opponents can’t simply walk through the midfield unchallenged.

Letting go of such players—either literally or figuratively by sidelining them—would be a major misstep. Instead, they should be built around. Gavi, too, is not just an aggressive player; he’s tactically astute, positionally aware, and emotionally invested in every tackle and challenge. Losing his influence or undermining his style to fit into a softer system would be a disservice to the team’s competitive edge.

It’s no longer enough to dominate possession charts. Teams need to dominate physically, press relentlessly, win second balls, and show stamina that lasts 90 minutes plus stoppage time. Without players like Casadó and Gavi, Barcelona risk becoming a team that looks good on paper but gets bullied on the field by stronger, more direct opponents.

Barcelona fans must remember that the game has evolved. This is not the era where a midfield trio of Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets could win you everything by dancing around the press. Today’s successful teams—Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich—have merged technical excellence with raw power and athleticism.

The club’s decision-makers should take a long, hard look at recent Champions League failures and ask themselves: is it really about tactics and formations, or is it about physical presence and mental edge? Barcelona’s current midfield lacks the steel needed to go toe-to-toe with Europe’s giants, and removing players who bring that steel would be a catastrophic miscalculation.

Gavi and Casadó might not be the most elegant players, but they are among the most necessary. Without them, Barcelona risk losing not just games, but their edge, identity, and long-term future. Now is not the time to make emotional or overly technical decisions. Now is the time to blend beauty with brawn—and keep the fighters in the squad