Barcelona is facing a severe injury crisis, which, given their lack of depth, could expose major issues for them as they return to domestic football and the Champions League, with Chelsea at home in the next round of fixtures.
They now have three critical players sidelined, which started with just one player, has grown into a full-blown depth crisis that could derail them after they started the season so well, with only 17 registered first-team players.
They were one of the smallest squads in elite European football. Still, with three key players out, they will not have options or access to substitutes unless their manager, Jonathan Giraldez, raids the B-team for reinforcements. However, they have only 12 registered players.
Under domestic Rules, transfers or loans outside the window are not permitted in Spain's women’s football structure, barring exceptional goalkeeper emergencies. This leaves Barca with stretched titles unless their manager, Jonathan Giraldez, raids the B-team for reinforcements, although there is a financial crisis in the men’s team.
Salma Paralleulo is the latest player to be injured. She brings pace, power and end product to the Barcelona side, but suffered a partial tear of her left knee’s MCL while on international duty with Spain in the Nations League semi-final against Sweden. She has now been ruled out for 8-10 weeks, but as this injury occurred during the international break, FIFA’s club protection programme will compensate Barcelona around €575,000–€900,000; however, the sporting cost is immeasurable. For the club, the Spanish international stretches defences vertically and finishes attacks ruthlessly. In her absence, there will be limited direct pace in transition and a natural left-sided balance.
The subsequent injury is to Ewa Pajor, who leads the line, and she sustained a posterolateral knee injury, which is expected to sideline her for 4–6 weeks. She was stretchered off against Atletico Madrid and seemed very distraught and in a lot of pain. She offers a proper striker's instant combination of movement, pressing, and clinical finishing inside the box. Without her, they will rely on Claudia Pina to play in that false-nine role. In her absence, their aerial threat is significantly reduced.
The final significant injury for the Spanish side is Patri Guijarro in midfield, who has a stress fracture in her right foot, which will keep her out for around 12 weeks. As a midfielder, she is the glue between the defence and the attack, dictating the tempo and shielding the back line, thereby allowing Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati the freedom to go forward. This will be dangerous against a high-pressing side like Chelsea. Patri’s leadership and calmness under pressure make her almost irreplaceable; she is also one of the few who consistently deliver in European knockout matches.
The Champions League clash with Chelsea arrives at the worst possible time. Without Paralluelo’s speed, Pajor’s presence, or Guijarro’s control, Barcelona will likely have to adapt their identity, leaning on Bonmatí’s creativity and Hansen’s one-on-one brilliance.
It will likely be B-team call-ups and younger, less experienced players, such as Vicky Lopez, who will feature more prominently in the next month or so.
With Barcelona having limited bench availability and poor squad depth, this means players will likely be expected to play more frequently in both European and domestic competitions, sometimes with multiple games a week, as they do not have the players to rotate around with. This increase in stress from playing so much, having higher expectations, and a lack of recovery between games will scientifically increase the chances of injuries. Barcelona has a lose-lose situation if they bench their stars; they likely could lose, but if they constantly play their stars, they could become ill, out of fitness, fatigued, or even worse, injured.
After a dominant 15-game winning streak in Liga F, Barcelona Femení’s shock 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad their first league match since Salma Paralluelo’s injury highlights the growing impact of their deepening injury crisis. For the first time since January 2020, the European champions failed to score in a domestic game, a clear sign that the absences of Paralluelo, Ewa Pajor, and Patri Guijarro are beginning to take a toll. Their lack of attacking sharpness and reduced squad depth are now visibly affecting performances, exposing vulnerabilities that their early-season dominance had masked. Mainly because they will rely heavily on the likes of Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas to provide goals week in and week out, who have just played big games for Spain, if they put pressure on their players to score and overplay them, fatigue and injury chances will increase. The situation could deteriorate further. This result not only ends an incredible run but also serves as a warning of how stretched the squad has become heading into a critical Champions League clash with Chelsea.
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