Barcelona were reportedly in the middle of a training session when Hansi Flick heard the news. The club's Liga clash with Osasuna had been rescheduled by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) for Thursday, March 27.
Flick was furious. The new date meant that he would probably be unable to call upon regulars Raphinha and Ronald Araujo for the must-win meeting with Osasuna as the pair will have only just returned from international duty with their respective nations in South America.
There was also the fact that the rearrangement meant that Barca were suddenly facing the daunting prospect of playing four times in nine days at a crucial and already congested stage of the season.
Flick felt the fixture list was unfair. He immediately feared fatigue might end up taking a heavy toll on a team still competing on three fronts and ultimately undermine Barca's Spanish title bid in particular. And, in fairness, one can easily understand why...