Barça Wins, but Eric García Points to Hansi Flick's First Discard: 'He's Out'

Barça has secured a narrow and hard-fought victory against Leganés in a match of utmost importance for the season's outcome. An own goal by Jorge Sáenz, the Leganés center-back, was key for the visitors to take the three points from a challenging field like Butarque. Now, Barça is already thinking about their next commitment, the return leg of the Champions League quarter-finals with Dortmund.

The match was more contested than expected, with chances for both sides and Szczesny in stellar form. The Polish goalkeeper kept a clean sheet again and now has 21 consecutive unbeaten matches. The defensive solidity was decisive for the final victory, although one of Barça's defenders was heavily criticized.

Tonight, Hansi Flick made several changes to the starting eleven, some quite unexpected. For instance, Fermín López repeated in the attacking midfield; meanwhile, Ronald Araújo took the center-back position instead of Pau Cubarsí. However, the most notable change occurred at halftime.

Ronald Araújo Doesn't Quite Fit In

In the first half, Barça was unable to overcome Leganés, and the halftime score was a goalless draw. Flick, aware of the team's difficulties in creating play, decided to shake things up. Many thought he was going to take out Eric García to bring in De Jong, but the one sacrificed was Ronald Araújo.

The Uruguayan center-back didn't have a good match and showed that, in small and high-pressure fields, his footwork leaves much to be desired. He wasn't able to offer good passing lines, so Flick decided to send him to the bench. In the second half, Eric García took his role, and De Jong came in to lead the midfield; coincidence or not, the goal came two minutes later.

It seems evident that Ronald Araújo's future at FC Barcelona is not assured at all. On one hand, it's clear that he doesn't fit into Hansi Flick's plans in any way. Moreover, the fact that he has several offers and that the Catalan club needs money makes his transfer very feasible.

We'll see what happens in the summer. Ronald Araújo's release clause will be 65 million for the first ten days of the market. Pay attention to his future.