There are many things that Hansi Flick has shown in his short time as Barcelona’s coach and one distinct quality is his bravery in team selection. That trend continued in their first game against Valencia at the Mestalla.
The German coach lined up with quite a brave starting XI against Valencia naming three 17-year-olds and two 20-year-olds in the team. It was a great show of confidence from Flick to persist with the two Marcs in midfield – Bernal and Casado.
Bernal was tasked with building from the back using a single-pivot whilst Casado was given more freedom to move forward and link up with attack. The 20-year-old had a match to remember at the Mestalla.
Casado is the closest profile Barcelona have in the squad to Frenkie de Jong. He is very intelligent on the ball and his movement to break the lines of pressure was reminiscent of how the Dutchman operates.
If yesterday was the 20-year-old’s audition to gain a more prominent role in the first team, Casado passed the test with flying colors. Flick will surely be tempted to give him more game time in the coming weeks, especially with Frenkie and Gavi injured.
After the Valencia game, Casado was quizzed about the feeling of being afforded first-team opportunities. Here is what the 20-year-old had to say as quoted by Mundo Deportivo:
“They all work as hard as anyone and I think they deserve it. What we know is that we will work at 100% to have the maximum opportunities.”
If one thought Xavi was giving youngsters a lot of opportunities, Hansi Flick is taking it one step further. The German coach has placed immense trust in La Masia and it is good to see that the talents are getting an opportunity to shine.
Where Casado & co. go from here completely depends on how they develop moving forward. Exciting times lie ahead as a Barcelona fan and we couldn’t be more excited.
