Rodri's Unique Path at Barcelona Ahead of Rayo Vallecano Clash

Barcelona eased into Saturday’s work with one eye firmly on Monday night and Rayo Vallecano, but all glances kept drifting back to one man: Rodri.

Rodri on his own path

While Hansi Flick gathered his squad on the Tito Vilanova pitch at the Joan Gamper sports city, Rodri peeled off in another direction. The Spain midfielder stayed indoors, following an individual programme in the gym and away from the main group, as reported by Spanish outlet Sport.

It was no punishment and no alarm bell. This is a plan.

Rodri dazzled on his Barcelona debut against Athletic Bilbao, offering a glimpse of why the club pushed so hard to bring him in. Since then, though, his work has been carefully rationed. Only a handful of collective sessions so far, with the medical and physiotherapy teams drip-feeding his minutes and intensity.

The message from inside the club is clear: calm. There is no concern about his physical condition. He is considered ready to contribute and seen as a central piece in Flick’s long-term project. But he has just come off a summer that ended with him lifting the World Cup for Spain and returned from his holidays only a few days ago. Nobody at Barcelona intends to burn him out in August.

The expectation is that Rodri will be in the squad for the visit of Rayo Vallecano and available to Flick if needed. A starting spot, though, looks unlikely at this stage. Barcelona want to bring him back into full match rhythm step by step, not in one heavy leap.

Flick at full strength – almost

Out on the grass, the main group started at 9:30 in the morning, the Catalan sun already pushing the tempo. Flick had every fit first-team player at his disposal, a rare luxury so early in the season.

Among them was Dominik Livaković, the club’s latest signing, who completed his second training session as a Barcelona player. The goalkeeper continues his integration, learning the angles, the triggers, the demands of Flick’s build-up play.

The absences told their own story. Gavi did not take part, still out of the dynamic after his serious injury, and he was joined on the sidelines by long-term casualties Frenkie de Jong and Roony Bardghji.

So Barcelona move towards the third round of the 2026-2027 league campaign with a deep squad, a new goalkeeper bedding in, and a World Cup-winning midfielder being handled like the precious asset he is.

The real question now is not whether Rodri will appear against Rayo Vallecano, but how quickly Flick decides to hand him the keys to this Barcelona midfield.