Xavi has to deal with many financial issues while working as Barcelona manager. The Spanish club is facing restrictions to sign players, forcing the manager to use his academy graduates in most games. Adding to their misery are the injuries to some of the key players. Barcelona have faced a lot of injury issues, especially in the defence.
Many Barcelona academy graduates have a chance to represent the first team. The likes of Pedri, Gavi and Lamine Yamal have established a regular spot in the playing 11 and have earned a call-up for the national team. Another youngster who has emerged in recent times is defender, Pau Cubarsi.
The 17-year-old defender made his debut for the senior team against Real Betis in LaLiga this year. Since then, Xavi has given him regular opportunities and Cubarsi even started in Barcelona’s most recent win over Osasuna. Let’s look at how this youngster has impressed the Spanish manager with his skills and defensive stability.
Decent start in Barcelona colours
In LaLiga, it took Cubarsi three appearances to finish the match without conceding a goal. He started the first match against Real Betis, came off the bench against Villarreal and played the full 90 minutes against Osasuna. He has featured as a left centre-back in every game.
The 17-year-old has made a positive impression on the field. His duels win rate is the main reason why Xavi is trusting him at a young age. Cubarsi has contested 16 defensive duels and won 14. He has lacked a bit in winning aerial duels and has a 25% win rate. The first viz above shows the seven defensive duels contested against Real Betis and the second shows the five contested against Osasuna.
This impressive ability to win duels in defensive areas and with a high success rate shows a lot of promise for the future.
In addition to this, the youngster knows how to recover the ball. Pau Cubarsi has made 23 recoveries and 30% of these came in the attacking half. The above visual shows the 12 recoveries made against Villareal in just 57 minutes on the field.
These are the recoveries made by Cubarsi in the attacking half. Most of these have been counter-pressing recoveries and one turned out to be a dangerous one.
Ball playing defender
Barcelona players are very comfortable on the ball. Their Tiki-taka gameplay involves a lot of ball passing. Pau knows how to rotate the ball and has a 92.8% accuracy rate. The most impressive thing about this youngster is his ability to deliver passes into the final third. Around 22 passes have been attempted and 86% have successfully found a teammate. In the last match, Cubarsi attempted 11 passes and had a 100% success rate.
Pau Cubarsi has a bright future. He will look to win more duels and impress everyone with his passing. Xavi is likely to give him more opportunities and hope for the same consistency at the top level.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine