The Western media "World Sports" reported that Gerald Martin or Tolentz will replace Barde. Both gained Flick's trust, enough to fill the gap in Valder's absence due to injury. Frick's firm belief that both of them can handle that role allows him to have a wider range of options against Valencia in search of the ideal defender combination.

There are only three days left to La Liga return. Flick is sure that Barde is absent, but he also needs to determine the central defender partner combination. The consumption of international match days allows him to weigh the options available. Kubasi, Eric Garcia and Christensen are preferred, especially considering Araujo's cross-continental game. If an emergency occurs, Gerald Martin can take over. If he moves to the middle as the left center back, Tolentz will occupy the wing.

Before the match against Vallecano, Barcelona successfully registered Gerald Martin in La Liga after loaning Peña to Elche and selling Jan Vergili to Mallorca. Frick has allowed him to play for 12 minutes against Vallecano. He continued to exercise in the first team last season.

Gerard Martin officially made his debut in the 2024-25 season, and also performed well in the Champions League, such as the two assists against Inter Milan in the semi-finals. Inigor Martinez's departure may give him a more important role on the defense.

18-year-old Tolentz is one of the highlights of Barcelona's lineup. He is one of the youth training players that amazed the most by Barcelona's technical team. Tolentz has been involved in first-team joint training since the first day of Barcelona's return to training and is unlikely to return to Barcelona Sports.

Frick let Tolentz make his debut in the first round of La Liga against Mallorca. He got about 20 minutes of playing time. Frick sees him as an emergency left-center-back option.