Two key stats highlighting why Barcelona veteran has become untouchable under Hansi Flick

An ideal Barcelona defender is expected to have two attributes in equal measure – quality in challenges and elite distribution.

As a team that plays out from the back, the centre-backs are often the point where Barcelona’s attacks begin and injuries to Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen thus had fans and the management worried.

Inigo Martinez, however, has come in and stepped up and is now an undisputed starter under Hansi Flick. The player is now the leader of the team at the back and is showing all the qualities asked of him impeccably.

Two amazing facts

While Martinez’s defensive quality was never in question, he has proven to be an elite ball player in recent weeks and is only improving with every passing game.

So far in La Liga, Martinez has attempted 600 passes and completed 553 and is the player in the competition with the most completed passes. In second place is Girona’s Daley Blind who has completed 450 of 491 attempted passes.

Diving deeper into last night’s game, the veteran completed 101 passes from 117 touches with a pass accuracy of 94%.

Getafe as a whole completed just 90 accurate passes on the night, putting the defender’s numbers in perspective.

Apart from the mere numbers, Martinez’s success on the field must also be attributed to the quality of passes he produces, often single-handedly creating an attack. His long balls across the field, after all, help switch play instantly and open up spaces.

The player was involved in a harsh tackle late in the game and appeared to be struggling for a short period. However, the injury appears minor and he could well start against Osasuna unless Flick decides that the player needs a break.

*Stats from WhoScored.com