Why Barcelona's main playmaker hasn't been starting in recent games — Explained

As Hansi Flick changes the way he rotates players this season to be more focused on merit, one of the most important things has been that Dani Olmo hasn't been as important.

The former RB Leipzig playmaker was a big part of Barcelona's first squad last season when he was available. This season, he has only started one game so far.

Olmo has played in every game, but he hasn't been in the starting eleven, which is a worrying tendency at Barcelona.

Why isn't Olmo starting?

A new report from MARCA has shed some light on why Olmo is no longer starting games for Barcelona.

His form is the first thing. His stats aren't great; he hasn't scored any goals yet and has only one assist.

He had clear chances to score in games like the one against Rayo Vallecano and the midweek Champions League game against Newcastle, but he didn't take them.

The second reason is that there is a lot of competition in his favorite position. Olmo is great as an attacking midfielder, but Flick has a lot of other choices right now.

Fermin Lopez has had a great start to the season, scoring important goals against Valencia and two in the Gamper Trophy. Ferran Torres and Raphinha can also play in that position.

Olmo has problems not only with club football. He only played 19 minutes for Spain during the last international break, which is remarkable for someone who is typically seen as an important player for Luis de la Fuente.

Reports that he might move to Paris Saint-Germain recently have made the playmaker's problems worse. Luis Enrique is said to be interested in signing him.

Olmo has stayed peaceful thus far, though. Fermin's form has been slipping a little, so Olmo might have a chance to show what he can do again in Sunday's game against Getafe.