What’s going on with Pau Cubarsi? Analyzing the Barcelona prodigy’s recent dip in form | OneFootball

At 18, Pau Cubarsi is supposed to be one of the protagonists of the next generation at FC Barcelona. Instead, after the recent 2–1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt, whispers are not about his bright future but whether he is already faltering. The margins are small, but in a side chasing stability, those margins matter.

Cubarsi remains young, trusted, and contracted long-term. Since breaking into the first team in 2024 and establishing himself as a regular starter, the 18-year-old has accumulated 100 official appearances, logging significant minutes across La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League. He even registered his first senior goal in the 2025 Copa del Rey semi-final.

Yet numbers also show why concern has crept in. Barcelona have conceded 20 goals so far in the league, which is more than 15th-placed Osasuna. While these are not necessarily Cubarsi’s fault, he has started most of these games without always looking flawless.

The amplification is visible. After Barcelona’s recent 3–1 win over Atlético Madrid, Cubarsi’s performance came under the microscope despite the Catalan club having a good showing overall. Last night, against Eintracht Frankfurt, the Spanish teenager had a worrisome moment or two and looked markedly inferior to his partner, Gerard Martin.

On the ball, there is no doubting Cubarsi. He remains one of the best ball-playing central defenders around, but all that amounts to little if he cannot get his primary task sorted. It is hard to know how much of the rough form is internal and how much stems from context. His defensive partners have changed frequently this season, which is not ideal for an 18-year-old defender.

The deeper issue might be psychological: a young defender learning not just to read the game, but to survive in one of the most demanding systems at one of the biggest clubs in the world. Playing in a position where players mature with age, Cubarsi needs to be cut some slack. The underlying data suggests he remains an outlier in the centre-back role.

One must also remember the mental demands it takes for a central defender to play in this system. Inigo Martinez, a veteran of the game, admitted that he often struggled to sleep after games due to having to concentrate all the time.

If a 33-year-old Inigo struggled to keep his focus, imagine what an 18-year-old Cubarsi must be going through! His legs have had so many minutes in them so far this season, and the fatigue seems to be getting to him.

As a centre-back, the weight of errors or lapses in judgement falls on him more heavily than it does on forwards who miss chances. The question is simple: can Cubarsi shake this minor dip and return to the trajectory Barcelona envisaged?

In that sense, Cubarsi’s current form is a crossroads. He can still emerge from this as he entered: a bright, assured pillar of the Barcelona backline. Or he can become yet another promising youth whose development blurred under pressure.

For now, the spotlight is on him. And after Frankfurt, fans will be waiting for the teenager to rediscover the presence he established very early in his Barcelona career.