"That’s why Olmo played" - Hansi Flick claims Barcelona had to back out of match at last minute because of discomfort

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has confirmed that Gavi had to back out of their LaLiga clash against Real Sociedad on Sunday. The Spaniard felt some discomfort before the match, leading to Dani Olmo starting instead.

The Blaugrana comfortably won 4-0 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys against Real Sociedad on Sunday. Dani Olmo started the match and provided two assists during his 71-minute stay on the pitch. He completed 35/38 passes, made five key passes, won 2/5 duels, and attempted five shots.

In his post-match press conference, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick revealed that Olmo started because Gavi felt some discomfort before the match. He said (via Barca Universal):

“Honestly, I had thought of starting with Gavi, but he felt some discomfort. He wasn’t feeling well and we changed the plan. That’s why Olmo played.”

He added:

“Yesterday he told us that he had a fever and we had to take that into account. He has warmed up, but we decided that it was not necessary to take any risks.”

Gavi has mostly been restricted to the bench this season as he's making his return after recovering from an ACL injury. He's started 12 games for Barcelona across competitions, and recorded two goals and three assists in 24 overall appearances.

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Barcelona beat Real Sociedad, extend lead over arch-rivals Real Madrid

Aside from the discomfort to Gavi, it was a perfect weekend for Barcelona as they hammered Real Sociedad 4-0 in LaLiga on Sunday. Aritz Elustondo was sent off in the 17th minute after a last-man challenge on Dani Olmo. Thereafter, it was quite comfortable for the hosts.

Gerard Martin opened the scoring in the 25th minute before Marc Casado made it 2-0 four minutes later. Ronald Araujo scored in the 56th minute while Robert Lewandowski also got on the scoresheet four minutes later. Barca had 77% possession and 33 attempts, with 10 being on target while Real Sociedad couldn't muster a single attempt.

The win was a huge boost for Barcelona, with arch-rivals and title challengers Real Madrid having lost 2-1 against Real Betis away on Saturday. Brahim Diaz opened the scoring for the visitors in the 10th minute but Johnny Cardoso equalized in the 34th minute. Former Los Blancos superstar Isco then scored the winner in the 54th minute via a penalty.

Barca lead the LaLiga table and sit one point above Atletico Madrid while Real Madrid have dropped to third, sitting three points off the top.