Roony Bardghji's first season at Barcelona has not followed the smooth path many expected. The winger arrived with promise and excitement, but the reality of competing for places at a club like Barcelona is starting to show.
As the campaign moves into a crucial phase, his playing time has dropped sharply once again. So far this year Barcelona have played 12 matches across competitions, but Bardghji has only appeared in five of them. Those appearances add up to just 160 minutes in this period, which is a small portion of the roughly 502 minutes he has accumulated all season. The recent trend is even more concerning: in the last six matches the 20-year-old has only been given brief cameos — just over 10 minutes against Oviedo and Mallorca — and in the other games he did not feature at all.
A similar spell already occurred earlier in the season. Between November 9 and December 2 he did not play a single minute in matches against Celta Vigo, Athletic Club, Chelsea, Alavés and Atlético Madrid. After that run he was briefly reintegrated, appearing in four consecutive matches and even starting two of them, but his involvement has dropped again in recent weeks.
Part of the challenge lies in the competition for his position: Bardghji operates in an area of the pitch currently dominated by Lamine Yamal, who has become one of the team's most important attacking players. Despite the lack of minutes, the Swedish international has not publicly complained. He has remained professional, and whenever Flick is asked about him the coach continues to speak positively about his work and potential.
