Several youngsters from the FC Barcelona youth system got the chance to impress with the first team in the last season. Most of these youngsters took full advantage of their opportunities, with Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi, and Fermin Lopez establishing themselves as regular features in Xavi’s team.
Xavi himself has departed but this policy of entrusting the youngsters with opportunities with the first team continues at the Catalan club. This is clear from how the new coach, Hansi Flick, has used several youngsters like Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, Toni Fernandez, Pablo Torre, and Pau Victor during the pre-season.
Another player who has benefited a lot from Flick’s appointment is the German youngster, Noah Darvich. A report from SPORT claims that it was Flick himself who wanted the youngster to be a part of his team for the pre-season, and to play against high-quality opponents in the tour of the USA.
These opportunities in the pre-season are only the next step in the player’s evolution at the Blaugrana club, which has been controlled to a very high extent by the Catalans. Barcelona have a specific plan in place for him to help him get assimilated to their style of play, which is quite distinct from what the German wonderkid had been accustomed to before his move to Catalonia.
He slowly made his way to Barcelona Atletic, and played 21 games, scoring 1 goal and providing 2 assists, under Rafa Marquez. For the next season, he will continue to be a part of the reserve team, but his growth over the last year is easy to observe.
In the pre-season, Flick played him for half an hour against Manchester City, and 15 minutes against Real Madrid. In both these matches, he featured as an attacking midfielder, but against City, he also played as one of the two pivots for some time. Thus, he has already shown that he can adapt to different roles in the midfield.
Furthermore, he also showcased his other skills, especially passing, with his exquisite through ball for Guille Fernandez against Real Madrid. Furthermore, his physical power was another characteristic that impressed the spectators in these outings.
There is no doubt that Darvich can grow on to become a highly important player for Barcelona in the years to come. For now, he needs to take full advantage of Flick’s appointment, especially as the tactician has already shown his propensity to give him opportunities to play with the first team.
