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Five transfer windows, 15 signings and over €200million spent in signings after Xavi’s arrival — yet Barcelona are living off two teenagers.
The Catalans struggled to beat 15th-placed Mallorca at home and their 1-0 win wouldn’t have been possible if 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi and 16-year-old Lamine Yamal had not starred on Friday night.
Both academy graduates made the difference in both boxes, with Cubarsi proving his imperious dimension on the defensive end. He ended the 90 minutes with five clearances, three tackles completed and another lucid display with the ball at his feet: registering 74 passes from 79 attempts, having the best success ratio (94%) on the pitch.
“Cubarsi is just differential,” said Xavi, as impressed as any fan after the game. “He is 17 but plays with the attitude of a veteran. Today he had two target men such as Vedat Muriqi and Cyle Larin in front of them, but he did not care. He doesn’t lose duels and with the ball, is the best on the team in his position.
Cubarsi’s leadership was the only bright spot during an uninspiring first half. Ilkay Gundogan missed a penalty but Barcelona struggled to create anything dangerous apart from that. The alarming lack of spark wasn’t amended until the second half when Yamal decided to show up.
Pau Cubarsi pressurises Mallorca’s Verdat Muriqi (Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
“It wasn’t his best game for us,” Xavi admitted after the game as he reflected on Yamal’s performance. “But he is capable of making the difference with ease. We’ve seen it today… he cuts inside, looks up to the goal and sends the ball to the top bins.”
Yamal arrived after a discreet first 45 minutes. After the break, he stabbed a shot onto Predrag Rajkovic’s crossbar just before creating the winning goal out of nowhere. He received the ball at the right flank of the box, cut inside, took a quick glimpse to goal, and sent a curled shot into an impossible place for Rajkovic to reach.
What a goal from Lamine Yamal.
The 16-year-old puts Barcelona in front against Mallorca with a sumptuous finish.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) March 8, 2024
You can’t blame any Barca fan for remembering Lionel Messi after witnessing that but Xavi left a warning.
“I get the similarities but it just does not benefit Lamine (Yamal),” said the Barcelona head coach. “Anyone who’s been compared to Messi has lost. It’s not good to set the comparison there.
“Lamine is left-footed too, he likes to cut inside… yeah, they might seem like flashes of Messi but we are talking here about the best footballer ever, so better not to compare anyone with him”.
Yamal spared the night for Barcelona and for another week, Xavi insisted on highlighting how much of a positive impact his announced resignation by next summer had on his team: “I insist, we have improved since I revealed my departure. The numbers are there. We’ve made a decent match against a tough opponent.”
These words felt as distant from reality as Montjuic’s atmosphere has been for a while. With 0-0 on the scoresheet and Barcelona struggling to produce big chances in the 70th minute of the match, the attending fans performed a Mexican wave. It was no time for celebration and something that would have never happened at the Camp Nou, where long-life fans tend to scrutinise and be critical with their team whenever they don’t deliver the expected results.
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The fact that less than half of the attendance at every game are Barcelona socios who renewed their membership this season plays a big part in it. Most of the stadium is filled with tourists or casual visitors. But those who attend at the stadium week in and week out, including the executive board members, could see how long-standing problems remained on Friday night.
For a team that has struggled to create on the offensive department, the Mallorca game offered a massive test for Barca’s midfield — an area where the team is seriously in trouble. Pedri and Frenkie de Jong’s injuries last week (both are expected to be sidelined for over a month) added up to Gavi’s absence for the rest of the season.
Ilkay Gundogan is now the only available footballer from the midfield group Xavi envisioned at the start of the season as the foundations of their project and this comes with a crucial Champions League tie against Napoli four days away.
It was casting time: Xavi decided to test Raphinha in a new role as attacking midfielder roaming around the inside channels. The decision sent a message to La Masia graduate Fermin Lopez, who offered an erratic display last week at Bilbao and was benched against Mallorca.
Raphinha had to be taken off after 37 minutes due to some discomfort in his ankle, so it’s difficult to draw any conclusions. Xavi confirmed there’s no injury though and the Brazilian will be available next Tuesday.
Yamal impressed where Raphinha and Joao Felix didn’t (Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
The second big name with a big chance in front of him was Joao Felix. In this case, the Portuguese attacker clearly wasted it.
Felix’s technique and his ability to move deeper to receive the ball and provide his team with an extra creative spark was nowhere to be seen in Montjuic. He registered 40 touches and lost possession nine times, completed one dribble from five attempts, and was not involved in any big chance. Xavi took him off after 62 minutes.
If he plays against Napoli, it won’t certainly be for the reasons he offered on the pitch but because of the bleak situation Barcelona’s manager has in his hands: with a team that has lacked creativity throughout the season, three players out of Felix, Raphinha, Fermin or Vitor Roque will most likely have to start on a regular basis in the coming weeks.
Latest signing Vitor Roque is another interesting case study. Barcelona spent €30m on the 19-year-old plus €31m in potential add-ons, in a time when they can’t afford to waste a penny. Roque hasn’t impressed Xavi much as he was benched even on a day that Robert Lewandowski rested.
Xavi is convinced that his main mission before leaving the club is ensuring the best development possible for youngsters that could define an era but to make sure Barca can go through to the Champions League quarter-finals and meet the financial needs of the club, he will definitely need more players to step up.
Finding a way to compensate for his current shortage of bodies in midfield is certainly an obligation.
(Top photo: Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
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