Ancelotti Praises Barcelona Youth, Lamine Yamal And Pau Cubarsi

Barcelona youth duo Pau Cubarsi (left) and Lamine Yamal. (X/@FCBarcelona)

JAKARTA - Barcelona has succeeded in bringing up a row of young players from the La Masia academy. Among them were Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi who received praise from Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti. They are expected to appear in El Clasico when Madrid host Barca in the La Liga Spanish competition at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Monday, April 22, 2024 in the morning WIB.

Barca may fail this season. No championship trophies have entered Barca's cupboard after failing in the Champions League.

The chances in La Liga are not easy because Barca are already eight points adrift of Madrid who are at the top of the standings.

If they lose at El Clasico, Barca will certainly fail to close points with Madrid.

On the other hand, if they win, Barca, who are currently in second place, will still be able to hunt down Madrid.

Despite the failure, Barca may be proud to have brought up a young player who is on average still 17 years old.

Those who have performed like Yamal. He had already appeared after the academy. Then Cubarsi, Marc Guiu and Hector Fort followed Yamal.

The three of them, outside Yamal, did not immediately enter the Barca squad because they received a call from the Spanish U-17 national team who competed in the 2023 U-17 World Cup which was held in Indonesia.

Returning from Indonesia, the three of them entered the Barca senior squad. Coach Xavi Hernandez never hesitates to rely on young people.

Cubarsi is among the most prominent. He has become a mainstay in the heart of defense.

In the match against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, Cubarsi was able to kill Kylian Mbappe. In the first match of the quarter Barca played at home to PSG. However, Mbappe was made unable to move and could not score a goal so PSG gave up 3-2.

In the second match, Cubarsi had to work hard because Barca lost Ronald Araujo on a red card. In the aftermath, Read lost 4-1 and was eliminated in the Champions League.

Despite failing to win trophies, Barca's young people got a lot of praise. Moreover, they will be the backbone of the Spanish national team. No less Ancelotti praised Yamal et al's performance.

"Their achievements at the age of now are very good. It is important to combine young players with those who are seniors. That's what we do too," said Ancelotti

"Cubarsi and Yamal are indeed surprising. They are still very young and will be successful in the future," he said again.

Yamal himself has twice appeared in El Clasico. He played as a substitute in the La Liga and Spanish Super Cup matches against Madrid. Meanwhile, Cubarsi will make his El Clasico debut.

Ancelotti did not underestimate Barca. Even though they are already eight points ahead, Barca will still put up a tight fight until the competition ends. Moreover, both teams are in a balanced position.

"Our distance is very tight. They are competitive and very tough opponents. This is no different from the previous El Clasico. The match will be tight. We also have the opportunity to get closer to winning the league title," said Ancelotti.