Barcelona's new coach Hansi Flick inherited a group of bright young players. Many of those faces performed well under the guidance of Xavi Hernandez last season. In the context that Blaugrana still cannot solve the financial problem, this will be an important force for Flick to build a foundation.
As soon as he arrived in Barcelona, Flick expressed his respect for the club's philosophy, which is based on trusting La Masia and developing homegrown talent.
"I'm very happy in the first few weeks. We have a lot of players coming from La Masia. We have a lot of great young players. We have to create this atmosphere for the players, to can develop them and take them to a higher level in their career. And that's what I will focus on" - Flick affirmed.
During pre-season, Flick examined all the available young players and assessed the suitability of each. In the opening match of La Liga 2024-2025 against Valencia, 3 young players made their debut for the Barca first team , including Marc Bernal (17 years old), Gerard Martin (22 years old) and Pau Victor (22 years old). Marc Casado (20 years old) was also given the opportunity to start after a few appearances last season.
The way the Blaugrana defeated Valencia with a score of 2-1 certainly did not satisfy the home fans. However, the performance of the morning stars has left a lot of hope, especially Casado's position. At the age of 20, this midfielder shows maturity and composure in his play. In addition, Casado also had a few situations to create breakthroughs with long shots.
Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal have somewhat not lived up to expectations, but this is understandable as both have just gone through a busy summer. Yamal and Spain won the throne at EURO 2024 and won the title of Best Young Player of the tournament. Meanwhile, Cubarsi and Fermin Lopez also left a bold mark in Spain U23's journey to winning the 2024 Olympic gold medal. Special mention must be made of the name Fermin Lopez with 6 goals and a series of impressive performances.
Those are optimistic signs for the Blaugrana, especially in the context that they have not yet been able to register rookie Dani Olmo with La Liga. "I don't care how many La Masia students are in the squad, because they all have great quality. La Masia's contribution during the summer has been very important. They have developed very quickly in these 6 weeks .
Today, we saw what they can do. These great young men have helped us a lot, both in the pre-season and at the beginning of the season," Flick said after the win over Valencia.
The brilliance of young players not only strengthens Barcelona's identity but also shows their ability to survive even when facing financial difficulties. Flick is clearly expressing the idea of a Barca built on the foundation of La Masia's talents.
