Barcelona coordinator talks Flick, La Masia, Rashford, Lamine – ‘He must be protected’ | OneFootball

Recent years in Barcelona have seen La Masia shine with an exceptional success rate. After all, players of just 16 and 17 years of age have gone on to leave a mark in the first team – something that would have been considered a shocker a decade ago.

One of the players who, back in his time, defied all odds and broke into the first team at 17 years of age was Bojan Krkic. His career, however, did not take off as he would have wished for, and he soon sank into anonymity. 

He is now Barcelona’s Coordinator of Football and has been doing a phenomenal job in identifying young talents and progressing them to the higher levels – eventually to the first team.

Krkic on La Masia

Speaking to the media earlier today, Krkic spoke about a plethora of topics, including his role at the club and the situation of certain players.

He began by explaining how La Masia played an important role in Flick’s project and what was important for a youngster who desires to make it big at the club.

“The player must value what it is to be in a youth of Barça, Barça B or the first team,” he said. 

“We had lost our way a little, with 15 and 16-year-olds training with the first team. When a player joins the first team at 17, 18, or 19 to go on tour, when the coach decides who goes and who stays, the message conveyed is that those who don’t travel aren’t being discarded,” he said.

“It will become increasingly difficult to be in the first team, but being on a tour or training in the weeks leading up to it is already a great reward,” he added.

Elaborating on what Hansi Flick expects from youngsters, Krkic said:

“What Flick wants is that they continue to perform the same or more when they are with Barça Atletic, that they continue to give their best to be able to return to the first team or to help the subsidiary.”

“There are players who do not travel because in their positions there are two or three players and others may have less competition, but everyone must evaluate where they are,” he added.

Krkic opens up on Lamine Yamal

The former Barcelona player then gave his two cents on Lamine Yamal, the youngster’s astronomic rise and what he thought of the teenager.

A superstar at 18. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

“He is a genius, an extraordinary player, how he evolves, how he plays, the ability he has to create. But what I value most about Lamine is how he is facing this situation.”

“He is a quiet boy, who demands himself in every training, who wants to win, he is a professional in every way and, on a personal level, for me it is fantastic because everything he is going through is not easy and how he is taking it is admirable,” he added.

Elaborating on how Yamal must be protected from comparisons and external noise at this stage of his career, the club administrator said,

“This ‘new Messi’ or ‘new Neymar’ is part of the world of football and we like to have references, but Lamine is Lamine. It is not comparable either in game or in mentality.” 

“What must be done is to accompany him, as a club, as fans, the media and he must be protected. He is an 18-year-old boy, with a career ahead of him, who has started very explosively and is already one of the best in the world,” he added.

Finally, the former player summarised his thoughts on Yamal’s potential and situation.

“His mentality is fantastic, he is an exemplary professional and an incredible player. The only thing to focus on is putting him inside a bubble and not allowing anything to enter.”

On team’s recent form

Speaking on Barcelona’s situation and performances so far this season, the club’s football coordinator said,

“We come from a year of winning practically everything, of being a dominant team in all phases of the game.”

“This is a new season, with a great demand because it is Barça, and after losing two games (those of Sevilla and PSG), it seemed that things were going to be fatal,” he added.

He then heaped praise on Marcus Rashford for his swift and impressive adaptation to life in Catalonia and insisted that the best was yet to come.

“Football is, especially here, a momentary judgment. Marcus is an excellent player, coming from many years in a different football context, both personally and professionally.”

“He is a player who arrives with a very good mentality and spectacular qualities. We have to allow him to go through a process of endurance and adaptation, and let the team evolve and grow,” he added.

“The months will come when we will see what each player has done, especially Marcus, who needs time. For now, he is fantastic,” Krkic concluded.

Source: SPORT