Barcelona have managed to finally conclude their pre-season tour of the United States of America with the conclusion of their final pre-season friendly against Italian giants AC Milan, and now reach back to the city of Barcelona.
Following this conclusion, Spanish outlet SPORT has highlighted several aspects of the tour that are worth a second look and a keen assessment now that the tour itself has come to an end.
- 1: From worse to better
Barcelona were handed an early blow into their tour as several players within the team had been diagnosed with gastroenteritis that had become a viral problem within the locker room.
As a result, the team had to cancel their opening fixture against Italian outfit Juventus and then proceeded to suffer a 5-3 defeat to a much stronger and active English Premier League side Arsenal in what would then become their pre-season opener.
However, that’s where the Catalans managed to turn the tides. Facing off against a confident Real Madrid outfit next, Barcelona would end up emerging as 3-0 victors in a hotly contested pre-season El Clasico. Then onwards, they would face AC Milan in their final outing of the preseason tour where they would once again emerge victorious, this time with a 1-0 scoreline.
- 2: New midfield revelation
The recruitment of Oriol Romeu from Girona raised its fair share of eyebrows at the arrival, but it may be safe to say that the Catalan defensive midfielder has earned his place within Xavi’s Barcelona side, courtesy of his solid displays.
Playing 202 minutes, he becomes the third most-used player by Xavi during the pre-season and his arrival has also paved the way for Barca’s Dutch maestro, Frenkie De Jong, to have more leverage and perform even better than before.
- 3: Ivorian on the exit ramp
Another example for what’s to come, Franck Kessie was one of the players used least frequently by Xavi to represent Barcelona on American soil.
It has become evident at this point that Xavi does not count on him for next season and that the Ivorian midfielder should look for other alternatives, something he himself agrees with as per the report.
- 4: The fullback dilemma
The departure of Jordi Alba was originally foreshadowed by many to bring about a great deal of stress and frustration for FC Barcelona. However, reality has been much kinder to the Catalans.
The emergence of La Masia product Alejandro Balde has been crucial in Xavi’s Barcelona emerging as La Liga champions last season and his immaculate pre-season displays showcase he is very much still the real deal as he looks to helm that left-back spot for years to come.
On the other hand, the right-back slot continues to be occupied by the likes of Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde, neither of whom specialize in that position, due to the lack of a specialist.
Barcelona will aim to recruit a possibly reliable and highly-rated player to take charge of that right-back slot and give the Catalans some much-needed relief on that flank in terms of personnel.
- 5: Two emerging diamonds
FC Barcelona have possibly discovered two elite young gems within their ranks that must continue to find minutes with the first team if they are to be given the right conditions to develop properly for the biggest stages in world football.
Lamine Yamal (16 years) and Fermin Lopez (20 years) are two La Masia talents that have garnered high praise by seniors and teammates alike for their extraordinary abilities.
Fermin Lopez was deployed in the midfield against Real Madrid and returned the trust of Xavi Hernandez by scoring a great goal and providing a precise assist both in the same outing against Los Blancos.
On the other end, Lamine Yamal was given much less time to shine but his display against AC Milan in the few minutes that he was provided showcased that he truly possesses abilities well beyond his years and the player has been deemed by many to possess the potential to reach great heights.
