Owing to their financial problems, FC Barcelona were not able to bring in a lot of reinforcements in the last summer transfer window apart from signing Dani Olmo, while also seeing several of their important players leave.
In such a context, Hansi Flick decided to bet on the club’s youth system, and since the start of the season, has been giving a lot of prominence to players emerging from their youth ranks.
This phenomenon reached its climax in last night’s game against Bayern Munich, as Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona started this game with six La Masia graduates in its starting eleven, and introduced three more players in the latter phases of the game.
Inaki Peni, Pau Cubarsi, Alejandro Balde, Marc Casado, Lamine Yamal, and Fermin Lopez were the six players from the youth academy that made up the Barcelona starting eleven against the Bavarians. In the second half, with the scoreline already in his side’s favor, Flick also put Dani Olmo, Gavi, and Ansu Fati on the pitch.
This was the second time that the German tactician had played so many players from the youth academy in a match, the previous occasion being the match against Sevilla.
Previously, Flick has played five players from the youth academy in several games, including the ones against Valencia, Girona, Monaco, Getafe, Osasuna, and Young Boys.
Despite this high involvement of the youth team players in the first team, Flick is still quite far from the record set by Tito Vilanova on 25th November 2012, as the late manager fielded a full starting eleven composed of players from La Masia in a match against Levante.
But with the quality these youngsters have shown under Flick, Barcelona fans can remain satisfied that their academy is still producing top-class talents at a very high rate, which has proven to be essential as the club has been unable to make its desired moves in the market.
