History wise, how many recent Barca's young players have changed or improved their game a lot in late years?
1. Arthur = remained as equally as flawed
2. Dumbele = dumb as always
3. Frenkie, Samper, Alena, Puig, Oriol, Denis, Andre Gomes, Halilovic, Malcom, Paco, Semedo, Dest, Wague
= more or less the same players as on the first day when they played for us, isn't it?
Someone will surely find an example or two of players who have changed their game and improved a lot, but in general, for 80-90%: what you see now = that is what you get eternally.
Ajnotkeith wrote a few days ago: it is not as if Pedri played 16 matches in his career or something. He IS young but he has already played 150 senior matches. 20 for NT team + 20 CL/Europa League matches.
So, it is not only abut the age but about player's actual experience.
Also, check the pattern among fans for every young player:
1. wow effect when a player plays good in his first matches
2. every good trait is magnified and overblown because he is young (and homegrown)
3. regarding player's flaws, you always get the same reply: leave the kid alone, he is 18, 20 or 22 ffs.
Regarding fixing those flaws, replies are always: he is young, time is on his side, he will improve.
4. when he doesn't improve his flaws in the next 2-3 years, fans turn excuses to:
- it's Valverde, Koeman, Xavi. He is clueless, no one has improved under him. Under the right coach and the system, he would look way better.
- or: fans turn to his teammates, like: Arthur can't make forward passes because no one is running into an open space. Dembele can't do anything because he is too fast for his teammates. Pedri can't do too much because Busi and Gavi are a bad midfield fit for him.
5. finally, after a few coaches and 3-4 years gone by with a player not improving, fans finally start to give up and move to a new kid.
And, as always, they repeat this process from the point 1, starting with: wow, so much talent, such a good displays aged only 18. We might have a new gem in the making here
Of course, a player or two will make it here and there.
But close to 90% of kids will fail.
And close to 90% will never improve their current flaws.
I know that our team sucks and fans are desperate for new gems and saviors, but that won't happen.
Let's be realistic: RM is buying the best young midfield talents from all over the world, like Brazil, France, Uruguay.
While we rely mostly on Catalan kids and some Spanish players.
Now: who has the bigger pool of gems to choose from?
And who is more likely to hit the jackpot with young players, RM or Barca?
RM, of course.
But we are stuck in the past with once-in-a-lifetime-Xavi-Iniesta era and the club thinks that we can replicate it and hit the jackpot with homegrown kids again.
Or: no one can understand our system as local kids.
Add political identity (Catalonia is not Spain) into mix also.
And this is what you get in the end. RM buying tons of new gem kids, while we are trying to create a new midfield duo from:
1. a hide and seek master who is tired all time and barely shoots
2. and from the other kid who is good only at kicking players
And then fans fall into an eternal loop of excuses and false hope: but he is young, but a bad coach, but horrible teammates, but a bad system, he would shine under Pep etc.