22 - Marc Bernal

[Joan]

For that he needs to have minutes. He is still just 18y old kid. Busi at 18y of age was playing in Tercera division while Marc was yesterday playing a very hard CL game. One of the hardest part of growing up and getting the first team minutes is overcoming the change of speed between youth and professional football.

I don’t think it makes much sense to compare the pace of development back then with today. Players now start earlier, or rather, they’re given opportunities earlier. Barcelona might have been the main driver behind this trend, but others have adopted it as well. And the players seem able to cope with it. Just because Busquets was playing in Tercera at 18 doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have been able to handle top level football at that age given today’s development. The difference is systemic rather than individual.

As for the long term consequences, we’ll only know in a decade or so. My guess is that careers at the very top might end up earlier.

 

[JamDav1982]

He played 90 mins last week v Atletico.

 

[Porque]

True missed that.

Attacking training match that one