Bold Barcelona? Building young aces has two sides of the coin, fans warn against overloading talent. Pedri as a deterrent

Barcelona defeated Atlético Madrid 3-0 on Sunday night on their home ground. Interestingly, the Catalan side had two 17-year-olds in the starting line-up, with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal coming on during the game. While the club faces praise for their courage, they are equally warned against taking too many risks.

The draw for the 29th round of LaLiga was clear. Atlético Madrid and Barcelona, two big clubs, clashed on Sunday night. It was expected to be a big and even battle, but the result was clear. The Catalans won 3:0 away from home.

The goals were scored by Joao Félix, Robert Lewandowski and the still only 20-year-old Fermin Lopez. However, it is worth mentioning that Xavi Hernández put two 17-year-olds in the starting line-up, both in defence.

Pau Cubarsí, the interim discovery of the year, who has been a regular since the beginning of the year, came in at stopper and Hector Fort, who played his seventh competitive game in the A-team, appeared on the left edge of defence.

It was only during the game that Lamine Yamal, still a year younger, who has been filling the sports media since the start of the season, jumped on the pitch. At the age of 16, he has been putting in outstanding performances. PSG are interested in him. He is already a difference maker for the Catalan club.

Understandably, it is commendable that Barcelona has not been afraid to give young and talented footballers the opportunity and confidence in such big and important matches for a long time. Moreover, in such numbers. That happens almost nowhere else. But it has its risks.

Courage or gamble? Barcelona warned, how will they approach it?

Barcelona is famous for giving young players a chance. Its academy, La Masia, is a global boast. Fans still remember the days when the club could field an entire starting eleven made up of youngsters.

Although there was an exodus at the end of the last decade, Xavi Hernández, who will leave the club in the summer, is betting big on young players and youngsters. Perhaps too much and too recklessly. It’s not so long since Gavi and Pedri were missing from the squad. Two great talents.

If they could, they played the whole game. But now they’re suffering from injuries. Gavi is out for most of this season and may miss the summer Euros. Pedri’s even worse. His health woes are taking longer and piling up. Plus, it’s obvious that this is one particular problem caused by prolonged overuse.

Pedri has already had nine medical stops since the 2021/22 season. With the exception of one brief hiatus due to coronavirus, all have been muscle problems, particularly thigh muscle injuries. In total, he has already missed 77 games according to Transfermarkt, while he has played 81 for Barcelona in that time.

In the 2020/21 season, the talented midfielder played 71 competitive games. After the season with Barcelona, he headed to the Euros, then attended the Olympics and instead of the break the club wanted to give him, he jumped into another busy season with the Catalan club.

The minutes for young prospects simply have to be handled differently. Although Pedri wanted to play, even the doctors didn’t stop him, but the fact that nobody could say “stop” may cost him a promising career.

It would be a huge shame if other big hopes Barcelona have in their squad end up the same way. This is exactly what the Blaugranas fans are pointing out. While they are proud of their legacy of talent, they fear that overworking them will cost them a promising future.

Source: FC Barcelona, LaLiga, Twitter, Transfermarkt, David Beno