Barcelona head coach Xavi has hit out at the international break after a host of his first team stars returned to Catalonia injured.
La Blaugrana return to the day job of domestic action away at Mallorca this weekend and Xavi will be forced into changes to his starting side in Palma.
Dutch pair Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay are both expected to miss at least two weeks of action after leaving the La Oranje camp early with defensive duo Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo also ruled out.
Araujo is not expected to be back in action until after the World Cup, with Koude out until the end of October, and Xavi is short of options in defence.
“It frustrates me but I have to think about the positives. We haven’t found an explanation, it’s multifactorial, and each player is different”, as per reports from Marca.
“There needs to be more caution and prevention, so we’ll talk to the national teams.
“We don’t know if the trips are a problem, the game overload, but no blame is being sought. But, it’s still a disgrace, as there’s a small plague of injuries.”
Xavi’s injury concerns will force a change in central defence, with veteran centre back Gerard Pique set to be handed a rare start, and La Masia starlet Marc Casado a possible starter at right back.
