F.C. Barcelona and their youth are salvaging an otherwise mediocre season. While La Liga may be out of reach, the UCL is still on the table. After 29 games, they are in second place in La Liga with 64 points. Their arch-rivals, Real Madrid, are in first place with 72 points.
They have also struggled in knockout competitions this season. On January 14th, they lost 4-1 to Madrid in the Supercopa de España, and ten days later, Basque side Athletic Bilbao knocked them out of the Copa del Rey 4-2. However, they remain in the UEFA Champions League, playing Paris Saint Germain in the quarterfinals on April 10 and 16.
The Youth
Three young players have helped to keep Barça’s season from sputtering despite the challenges. These are winger Lamine Yamal, center-back Pau Cubarsí, and midfielder Fermín López.
Lamine Yamal
Yamal was born on July 13, 2007, and spent his entire youth career at La Masia, Barça’s youth academy. He debuted for the first team on April 29, 2023, replacing Gavi in the 83rd minute in a 4–0 win against Real Betis in La Liga.
He would significantly impact the team’s success months later when he was named man of the match after providing two assists and two goals for Gavi and Robert Lewandowski in a 4–3 victory over Villarreal on August 28, 2023. This season, he has played 39 games and registered 13 goal contributions. His most productive stretch was from January 21 through February 21, where he started seven consecutive games, scoring four goals and producing one assist. Before this, he had only made three starts.
Pau Cubarsí
Cubarsí made his first start for the senior team on January 21, 2024, against Real Betis.
Since then, he has played 11 games for the club, where they amassed seven wins, two ties, and two losses.
Cubarsí plays with poise on the ball, which is very important for a side like Barça, which likes to dominate possession. Furthermore, he is decisive when making tackles, and intelligent in his positioning, making sure to play his role in maintaining a consistent defensive shape across the back line. Head coach Xavi Hernandez described his performance after a win against Mallorca:
“He had an amazing game. He is playing like a captain, it’s amazing. The personality that he showed for the team, I think it was spectacular today.”
Fermín López
López was introduced to the world on July 29, 2023, when he scored a tremendous goal from outside the box against Real Madrid in a “friendly” El Clasico at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He would debut for the senior team on August 27, 2023, coming off the bench for four minutes in a 4-3 win against Villareal. However, his most impactful moment for Barça occured on March 12, 2024. In the second leg of Barça’s round of 16 matchup with Napoli in the UCL, he would score early to give Barça an early 1-0 lead.
He is a clever attacking midfielder, who is excellent at moving off the ball to create space for his teammates, and uses his excellent touch to play quick passes in order to attack defenses.
The Future
F.C. Barcelona and their youth have an important challenge in the next few weeks. Success against PSG in the UCL could breathe new life into this struggling side. Failure could result in further demoralization, and long-term squad building issues, as they would miss out on millions of euros of prize money.
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- Source: https://thegamehaus.com/sports/f-c-barcelona-and-their-youth/2024/03/31/
