Bilbao vs Barcelona: Barca Dreams of La Masia

Eliminated from the Cup nhà Vua hasn't stopped Barcelona from dreaming. In fact, Hansi Flick is even more optimistic about the final stage of the season thanks to the outstanding quality of La Masia.

While the financial fair play equation remains unresolved, the duo of Hansi Flick and Deco have helped Barcelona achieve success through the academy.

The duo of Flick and Deco

When regaining power at Barcelona in 2021, Joan Laporta was not convinced by the idea of keeping Ronald Koeman on the Camp Nou coaching bench. He said this directly to the Dutch strategist. He also wasn't truly enamored with the Xavi Hernandez option and publicly shared this. Without Johan Cruyff to consult as in his first term, Laporta quickly eliminated the possibility of choosing Andrea Pirlo. The dream of betting on the German football school was also temporarily shelved, an idea that arose after he read Ralf Rangnick's interview.

Later, Laporta had a direct meeting with Rangnick and kept three names in mind: Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, and Hansi Flick. Koeman was dismissed due to poor results; Xavi left Barcelona due to conflicts and lack of trust in the squad; while Mateu Alemany and Jordi Cruyff gradually lost power in the sports department to give way to Deco.

Deco is the one shaping Barcelona today, a team that makes a strong impression professionally, despite stopping in the King's Cup semifinals after nearly pulling off another "remontada," and is heading towards a new term election. Nearly two years ago, following Laporta's directive – who hadn't forgotten the conversation with Rangnick – Deco flew to London to meet Hansi Flick. The conclusion was reached quickly: They found an experienced coach, knowledgeable about European football. Most importantly, he looked towards the future just like Deco and Bojan – the football coordinator. This is a major difference compared to Xavi. The sports department's idea was to protect Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, not excluding the possibility of keeping Robert Lewandowski, and also believing it was hard to find a better winger than Raphinha on the transfer market. Flick agreed with that assessment.

The duo Deco and Flick brought vitality to Laporta's sports management, more importantly, they brought hope. While the financial equation remains stuck, the club currently hasn't resolved the financial fair play limit, Barcelona is clinging to the La Masia academy. Over the past five years, 27 young players have debuted; 14 still linger around the first team, others are loaned out. "Loaned players are still club assets," a source from the Joan Gamper center emphasized. A prime example is Lamine Yamal, tied until 2031 with a star salary: 40 million euros. Eric Garcia, Araujo, Joan Garcia, and Fermin Lopez also signed until 2031; while Pedri, Gavi, Jules Kounde, and Dani Olmo are bound until 2030. De Jong and Pau Cubarsi have contracts until 2029. The 2007 generation, Lamine and Cubarsi, have surpassed the 100-match milestone. Marc Bernal, who is very prominent, should also not be forgotten.

The Value of La Masia

"According to Transfermarkt, the value of academy-trained players in the first team is 560 million euros. Could we spend that amount on the market?", the sports department asked. They themselves provided the answer: "Sometimes renewing contracts is more important than buying."

Flick, with a "fatherly" style, is leading a group of young players eager to conquer Europe after stopping in the Champions League semifinals last season. They couldn't replicate the domestic "triple." The final 3-4 defeat against Atletico eliminated "Blaugrana" from the King's Cup final, despite having won the Spanish Super Cup and currently leading La Liga with a 4-point advantage over Real Madrid.

The match against Atletico also exposed an old yet new problem: Injuries. Balde and Kounde joined the treatment list. "We must improve, we must communicate with the medical team and the fitness coaching staff to avoid having three players injured in just one week," Flick admitted. The success in managing physical condition last season contrasts with the current injury count.

While Flick focuses on solving the "infirmary," the sports department analyzes the squad's deficiencies. The biggest issue is the "number 9" position. Lewandowski is nearing exhaustion and his contract also expires in 2026; Ferran Torres is effective when coming off the bench but isn't yet a goal-scoring striker – he hasn't scored for 7 consecutive matches, and only 1 goal in the last 10 matches. Additionally, the situation of Ter Stegen, currently loaned to Girona, also needs handling: His salary is too high if only to be a backup for Joan Garcia.

Joan Garcia is indeed one of Barcelona's future pillars, along with La Masia products. The core group naturally includes Pedri, and especially Lamine Yamal. Without financial resources, Barcelona's present and future are sheltering in the academy. This is precisely Laporta's advantage in the election.