Barcelona defender could see more game-time after impressive display vs Alaves | OneFootball

It is no secret that Eric Garcia was on his way out of FC Barcelona during the recently concluded winter transfer window.

The Spanish international was heavily courted by Girona, where he enjoyed a successful loan spell last season.

Meanwhile, from Italy, former Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas wanted Garcia at Como and even enlisted the help of Sergi Roberto to convince the versatile defender to join.

However, the ex-Man City man’s cameo against Benfica and a subsequent chat with manager Hansi Flick changed his mind and he opted to stay put.

More minutes after Garcia shows signs of fight

Now, SPORT reports that Eric Garcia’s performance after coming on as a second-half substitute against Alaves on Sunday is likely to open more doors for him in the starting lineup.

Since his chat with Flick which convinced him to stay, Garcia has taken a step forward in terms of his performances, which was evident in the match against Alaves, when he came on after half-time and the ball circulation improved.

Growing in stature. (Photo by Alex Pantling – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

In 45 minutes, the Spaniard managed to clear three balls, block one shot, and win one duel on the ground. These were his defensive contributions.

In terms of ball distribution, he came close to a 100% pass accuracy (46 successful passes out of 47, 98%) and touched the ball 52 times.

Having featured more as a defensive pivot in the early parts of the season, Eric has been playing more in his natural position at centre-back of late.

This was the case when he started against Valencia, forming a centre-back partnership with Pau Cubarsi in the 7-1 victory, in the 2-2 Champions League draw against Atalanta alongside Ronald Araujo, and in the 45 minutes he played vs Alaves.

On a tactical level and in terms of ball progression, Garcia has the qualities to be a starter for this Barcelona team, but the competition is fierce. However, having stayed in the winter, the player aims to be a protagonist and performances like the ones vs Alaves will only help him.