WILL XAVI FISH IN LA MASIA?
Xavi's three options at La Masia to 'replace' De Jong and Pedri
With the absences of Frenkie de Jong and Pedri González, Xavi Hernández could be forced to call on the Barca youth team on several occasions to complete his squad. There are three players who are knocking on the door
The FC Barcelona has a new stage by in front in which they will not be two of his key pieces in the centre of the field: Frenkie of Jong and Pedri González. The two fell lesionados in the first-half of the crash against the Athletic Club, in Saint Mamés, and have fulfilled the worst prognoses. In the best of the cases, will be moved away of the terrains of game by at least a month. It is a vase of cold water.
The Dutch suffers a sprain in the external lateral ligament of the right ankle that it could keep him in the dry dam by four weeks, until the month of April, whereas the injury in the rectum femoral of the right thigh of Pedri could leave him 'KO' between five and six weeks. That is to say, both are descartados for the turn of the eighth of final of the Champions League and the one of Tegueste would be out of action for the gone of some hypothetical chambers. Xavi will have to 'take out' his blackboard and find the ideal formula to replace them.
The most logical options are in the first team. With the two drops, is likely that the Barça go back to a 4-3-3 with Andreas Christensen like pivote, accompanied of Ílkay Gündogan and probably Fermín López. Another option is that Oriol Romeu split in the base of the played with the Danish, but in The Masia also there will be some alternative in case of rotation or emergency. There is, precisely, three players that are touching the door of the trainer egarense for 'colarse' in the plans of the first team.
The alternatives of the Barça in The Masia
Marc Casadó is the first in the list. It has turned into an usual piece of the trainings and has 'colado' in a lot of announcements along the season, but follows without giving the definite jump to remain in the first team. It has contested 22 minutes in the Champions League: 8' against the Shakhtar and 14' in front of the Royal Amberes. In LaLiga, has been summoned in 15 opportunities and has not seen minutes. Another alternative -that also is in the list of inscribed in Europe- is Unai Hernández.
An alternative that will not have to happen of sight for Xavi is the one of Marc Bernal. Although has only 16 years, has turned into one of the most surprising players in the Barça Atlètic of Rafa Márquez. It is one of the midfield players that have called in some opportunity to train with the first team by his big offensive vocation and reading of the game. In what it goes of season, in 22 parties, sum two goals and four assistances. It is one of the players that can vary his position depending on the needs of the team, to the equal that Pau Prim (18), called to mark the difference from the pivote.
