Football fans from around the world now claim that La Masia is dead. They say that jewels such as Messi or Iniesta will never be produced by La Masia again. However, Barcelona vs Real Betis game changed this perspective of many people. Here at TalkBarca, we will now discuss the performance of Carlos Perez and Ansu Fati.
Inevitably, Griezmann ended up as the man of the match against Betis. However, it was a significant contribution from the young wingers, which lead to a comeback. Both these youngsters showed how much capable they are and how much secure the future is for Barcelona.
Carlos Perez:
Perez was simply outstanding against Real Betis. He showed the opposition how much of a threat he can be in the upcoming games. Carlos Perez’s performance also sends out a message to Valverde that he needs first-team football. Perez has eventually shown how much he has worked hard to play for his dream club.
Previously, he had options for potential transfers where he could enjoy much more game time than at Barca. However, he decided to stay and make himself capable of playing for his boyhood club. Perez made deeper runs and kept pushing the Betis defense leading to several corners. He also ended up getting on the score sheet, and according to him, that feeling was worth all the work.
Furthermore, Carlos Perez had another decent outing away against Osasuna as well. He was more involved in the play and got 2 assists as well. However, critics are blaming him for missing a comparatively easy scoring chance towards the end of the game. They say that he could have clinched a win for his team had he put away the ball in the back of the net. That is somewhat true. However, being a young player, he still needs to develop composure in front of goal which he surely will if given more first team action.
Ansu Fati:
Every Cule wanted to see Ansu Fati playing on the pitch. Ansu is La Masia’s latest product and perhaps, one of the greatest in recent years. Making a debut for the first team at the age of 16 is one achievement, let alone delivering one of the best performances as well. Ansu Fati was venomous on the wing. He was part of many plays and counter-attacks. He also took a couple of good shots on the goal. However, the best noticeable thing about him was his confidence. Ansu was playing with the senior squad as if it was too casual for him.
Similar performance was repeated next week when Barcelona traveled away to face Osasuna. Ansu was brought in right from the start of the second half. He covered a lot of ground and contributed in setting up attacks as well as snatching the ball. Furthermore, he covered more distance than more than half of his teammates. Ansu ended up with his first goal for Barcelona. What a feeling it might have been.
The thrilling game against Betis inevitably shut the haters. However, a draw against Osasuna has raised the critics as well. We have dropped 5 points in our first 3 games which means Athletico Madrid are already 5 points ahead of us in the title race. Most of our injured would be back after the international break and we would surely cover this deficit soon.
What Can We Expect?
I am really impressed by the performance of both youngsters, especially, Ansu Fati. He has the potential to be a World Class player. I have really high hopes for him. It would be great to have him on our wings as a starter once Messi retires. However, we should not exert too much pressure on these youngsters. We have already witnessed the fall of Bojan. Let them develop at their own pace.
We should not pass too many critics if they have a bad patch of performances or miss a crucial chance. We have to give them time to adapt and develop in the players they promise to be. All good things with time and patience. We have to wait to witness how well both these youngsters progress through the season and how much playing time they get. One thing is for sure, the future of FC Barcelona seems quite bright with youngsters like Carlos Perez and Ansu Fati.
