Marc Casadó impresses against Las Palmas and claims his place in FC Barcelona

After three matches in obscurity, Marc Casadó stepped up in FC Barcelona's victory against UD Las Palmas (0-2). The academy player returned to the starting lineup at the Gran Canaria Stadium instead of Frenkie de Jong, who had taken over in the midfield in recent matches, and showed his usual high level, making it clear to Hansi Flick that he will fight until the end for a spot in the starting eleven.

The '17' from Barcelona once again put on a show in the center of the field, completing 79 passes out of 83 attempted (95%) and being responsible for bringing the ball out cleanly from the back. Additionally, he won 7 out of 8 defensive duels and, as usual, spared no effort to help the team in both areas of the pitch.

Casadó spoke about his situation in the team

After the match, the player spoke to the media and commented on his current situation in Flick's team. "Both those who start in the eleven and those who come in later are all very focused and at this point, it is very important looking ahead to the month ahead with so many important matches. There is a squad with a lot of quality and world-class players. We all perform well and are eager," the midfielder asserted.

Similarly, Casadó valued the important victory against Las Palmas, stating that "it is an important win in a tough field, we took advantage of the opportunities and the win gives us confidence and allows us to stay on top," throwing a 'dart' at the refereeing by saying that "we were hasty in the first half, although they got excited with three corners that I am told came from plays where they were offside".

The dilemma for Flick in midfield

The great performance of Frenkie de Jong in recent matches has earned him the trust of a Flick who has been his main supporter at Can Barça. However, Marc Casadó has been the main 'victim' of the resurgence of the '21', as his participation in the first team has been reduced after being an 'untouchable' in the first half of the season.

Despite this, with almost four months of competition still to play and a heavy load of matches, it is normal for the academy player and the Dutchman to share minutes in the midfield to balance the physical wear between them, and although, as of today, it seems that the '21' has won the battle in midfield, 'Casa' continues to show that he will fight until the end to regain the title of 'indispensable'.

Statistics for the 2024-2025 season of Frenkie de Jong and Marc Casadó:

📊 Frenkie de Jong

1. Matches played: 25
2. Starts: 4 in LaLiga, 3 in the Copa del Rey, 0 in the Supercopa de España and 2 in the Champions League.
3. Goals: 2
4. Assists: 1
5. Minutes played: 561 in LaLiga

📊 Marc Casadó

1. Matches played: 32
2. Starts: 18 in LaLiga, 0 in the Copa del Rey, 2 in the Supercopa de España and 7 in the Champions League.
3. Goals: 0
4. Assists: 6
5. Minutes played: 1,459 in LaLiga