Before Flick led Barca, Xavi tried everything but could not find a worthy replacement for the position left by Sergio Busquets. Xavi once tried letting Frenkie de Jong play that position, but the Dutch midfielder was constantly injured. Center back Eric Garcia was also tested but was unsuccessful.
Before Busquets left the team to join Inter Miami, he was paired with De Jong in the center of midfield by Xavi. In the 2022-2023 season, Barca won La Liga for the first time in 4 years. However, Busquets chose to retire and since then, Barca has not had a replacement.
Oriol Romeu was also tried and quite successful, but only when playing with Frenkie de Jong in the midfield. When De Jong was injured, Romeu could no longer develop his abilities and lost his confidence. In a financial situation that is no longer abundant, Barca is no longer able to buy rookies in this position because all resources are being devoted to Nico Williams. Therefore, La Masia could once again become a lifeline for the club.
Barcelona just finished a friendly match with Man City in the US, Blaugrana was the winner on penalties. In this match, captain Hansi Flick introduced many academy stars, notably the midfielder pair Marc Casado and Marc Bernal.
Last season, Marc Casado (20 years old) was the captain of the Barcelona youth team under coach Rafa Marquez. He is expected to play as a defensive midfielder. However, after Hector Fort was promoted to the first team, Casado had to take on the positions of full-back and attacking midfielder.
In June, Casado agreed an extension with Barca until 2028 and was announced to be part of the first team's plans. Casado is considered by the Barcelona coaching staff to be a person with good vision, likes to talk about tactics every day and reads the game well.
In the squad brought to the US this time for a tour, Flick has another star named Marc, Marc Bernal. Now 17 years old, Bernal has spent 10 years with La Masia. The highlight of this defensive midfielder is his impressive height (191 cm). Currently, Bernal is improving his speed and aerial ability to perfect his skill set.
In terms of tactical service, Casado is expected to catch up faster because he had the opportunity to debut for the first team last season. Meanwhile, Bernal needs more practice. However, in terms of interest in the transfer market, Bernal stands out more than Casado. The 17-year-old midfielder is receiving offers from England and Germany. Currently, Bernal has no intention of leaving La Masia.
Barca fans were very excited to see the Marc couple used by Flick in the midfield in the match against Man City. The ability to change positions and enthusiasm is what is most clearly felt. Regarding specific positions, sometimes Bernal drops a little deeper to let Casado advance. It was Casado who skillfully flicked the ball in the process leading to Pau Victor's opening goal in the 24th minute.
Testing the elements of La Masia during the pre-season tour is extremely important for Hansi Flick at this time. Currently, it is unclear whether Casado will pair with De Jong or this will be the season Bernal makes his debut for the first team.
However, at least this young couple has shown that they are ready for the challenge of filling the position left behind by the legendary Sergio Busquets .
