Ronald Araujo is in dire straits. Last week, the Uruguayan defender wore the captain's armband in the Champions League against Chelsea. The result: he once again faltered in the competition . Booked for dissent in the first half, the Barcelona player was deservedly sent off twelve minutes later after a reckless tackle on Marc Cucurella. Down to ten men, Barça then collapsed at Stamford Bridge (0-3). After the match, Hansi Flick nevertheless tried to find the words to defend his captain.
“ I don’t know what happened with the first yellow card. I need to talk to him and watch the videos, and the second one shouldn’t have been given like that. But these things happen in football. It wasn’t the right time or the right action, but that’s how it is. We’re going to see a different Barça, I can promise you that. I see how we train, the intensity and the quality, and it’s different from a few weeks ago… I have a good feeling about this .” Since then, things haven’t improved for Araujo .
"Ronald is not ready to play."
For the La Liga match against Deportivo Alavés, Barça announced that Araujo was unavailable due to stomach problems. "Araujo has gastroenteritis. He's not training today and will also miss tomorrow's match ," Flick stated on November 28th. The Uruguayan's absence against Alavés didn't prevent Barça from winning their La Liga match (3-1), but Araujo's stomach problems turned into a personal issue. This is what Flick revealed on Monday, the day before the clash against Atlético de Madrid.
“Ronald isn’t ready to play. It’s a private matter and I won’t say any more. I ask you to respect that; that’s all I can and will say.” And according to Marca and Mundo Deportivo , the player’s agents went to Barça’s training center on Monday to meet with the club. The objective is clear: to help Araujo recover mentally from this situation. The player himself then asked the club to allow him an indefinite period of time to recover psychologically. A request accepted by the Blaugrana.
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