On a night in March 2006, Hansi Flick and 67,000 others packed the Camp Nou to watch Frank Rijkaard's side beat Getafe 3-1. The crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to Ronaldinho, who turned 26 that day. In that moment, Hansi Flick promised himself that nothing would stop him from one day becoming Barcelona coach.
Fast forward to today, and Flick’s astonishingly young team are top of LaLiga with a 100% record and he is preparing for his Champions League debut as Barcelona manager. But when you compare his situation to Rijkaard’s Barça side, who were on course to become European champions by beating Arsenal in Paris, things are very different.
When Flick arrived at the Camp Nou 18 years ago as a special guest of Nike, he was inspired by a Barcelona starting line-up that featured just three Spaniards (compared to seven against Girona on Sunday). The youngest player in Rijkaard’s squad that night was 23-year-old Brazilian Thiago Motta, and the rest were mostly grown men. There was no comparison to Flick’s teenage squad.
Rijkaard, in 2006, had both Iniesta and Lionel Messi, but used each carefully as Barca had no shortage of talent. In the case of Iniesta, the Barcelona manager frustrated one of Spain’s greatest footballers and left him on the bench for the Champions League final that season. Let’s not even talk about Messi’s utter rage at Rijkaard’s omission of him from the squad for that final.
At that time, when there were veteran players on the bench like Xavi, Edmilson, Henrik Larsson, Sylvinho and Rafa Marquez, of course coach Rijkaard considered the academy boys a luxury.
Now what? At the end of Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Girona on Sunday, Flick’s unused substitutes included an 18-year-old Miami-born goalkeeper, a 19-year-old defender and an attacking midfielder who turned 16 last month. Flick brought on an 18-year-old full-back, plus two others with just three first-team appearances. That’s in a starting lineup that already included Yamal (17), Pedri (21), Cubarsí (17), Alex Balde (20) and Casadó (who turned 21 last week).
There are three questions: Firstly, how can Barcelona’s youth system continue to find and develop such gems when La Masia has been hit by cuts and constant coaching changes? Then, why has the club overspent on the transfer market to the point of being over €1 billion in debt? And finally, how much can we expect from such a young squad this season?
Since the end of Ronald Koeman's reign at Barcelona, through Xavi's heavy faith in Gavi and Pedri plus the debuts of Lamine, Balde and Cubarsi, it seems that if you're over 14, can kick a ball and are over 1.80m tall, you'll have a chance to train with the first team -- and even get a chance to play.
Not all of the young talents currently playing for Barcelona's first team will stay there long term. But most will. Soon you'll see the Fernandez brothers, Unai Hernandez, Orian Goren and Pedro "Dro" Fernandez. Five very special talents -- all 16, except Hernandez, who is 19.
Fabregas, the Barcelona youth academy superstar who won trophies with Messi and Pique, and who moved to Arsenal because by the age of 16 he had lost faith that he would ever make the Barça first team, can understand better than anyone. Speaking to the BBC last week, the former player said: "Barcelona's economic problems forced them to start playing all the young players. But now they keep doing it. Flick keeps bringing two or three more players into the team. And after Xavi brought Lamine Yamal into the team two years ago when he was 15, he is now worth €120m."
It is rare for one of Europe’s elite clubs to rely on such talented youngsters. That is what is about to happen to Flick and his team. They will have a chance to prove their mettle. They were beaten 3-0 by Monaco in the opening friendly of the Gamper Tournament and looked like a bunch of greenhorns. The German and his young men will face a Ligue 1 side in just 38 days, in their Champions League opener, but will they be good?
HO VIET
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/canh-bac-cua-barcelona-vao-doi-hinh-tre-dang-thanh-cong-nhung-lieu-co-on-post759812.html
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