One of the noticeable features of Barcelona’s matchdays squads since Xavi Hernandez took over as head coach has been the amount of youngsters that have been included.
On multiple occasions last season, a handful of Barca Atletic and U19 players were called up to first team squad for matches, although they would rarely feature, unless circumstances allowed it to be absolutely necessary.
The lack of playing time for those players had a poor effect, as they would sometimes go a considerable period of time without playing a competitive match in any capacity – Pablo Torre especially fell into this category. Xavi has recognised this, which is why he has now decided to take a new approach going forward.
As per Sport, Barca Atletic/U19 players won’t be called into first team matchday squads for the foreseeable, so that they can focus on making for their respective youth sides. The first case of this has already happened, with only 20 players being called up for Friday’s match with Sevilla.
🚨 OFFICIAL: The squad! @FCBarcelona pic.twitter.com/Dppl4ZEFtS
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) September 28, 2023
One of the players that will benefit from this change is Marc Casado. The young pivot is very highly-rated within Barcelona, and had been regularly included in first team squads so far this season, without actually playing a single minute. However, he will now remain with Barca Atletic, where he will be an integral part of Rafa Marquez’s squad.
This looks to be a very smart move from Xavi. He looks to have learned from last season’s Torre debacle, and it means that some of the Barcelona’s most promising youngsters will now have the chance to play very regularly, rather than being stuck on the bench.
