Hansi Flick’s secret to Barcelona success is another La Masia superstar dominating midfields for fun

Despite doing their very best to bankrupt themselves, Barcelona have survived the turmoil and – actually – are beginning to resemble a proper footballing institution once again.

Baby steps, of course. This is still the same club that has most recently had to give Ilkay Gundogan back to Manchester City for nothing 12 months after he joined the club, because the contract they handed him was simply too much for them to afford.

It’s also the same club that spent a fortune on Paulinho and Philippe Coutinho, orchestrated an incredibly suspicious swap deal involving Arthur Melo and Miralem Pjanic and paid another small fortune to sign Antoine Griezmann – only for him to warm the bench behind Lionel Messi.

Want another? It’s also the same club that then had to watch Messi – the greatest player of all time who was in tears at the prospect of leaving – have to walk away for nothing because they couldn’t afford to renew his contract.

In short, Barcelona are pretty chaotic these days. But you already knew that.

You’re probably also aware that they’ve enjoyed a strong start under the tutelage of new manager Hansi Flick. The German replaced Xavi in the summer after he was relieved of his duties just months after doing a U-turn on his own decision to step down.

Amid that chaos, Flick has somehow found tranquillity at the beginning of his tenure, despite arriving with immense pressure on his shoulders to revive a falling giant while also attempting to rebuild his own reputation.

It’s of course still too early to speak in absolutes, but the signs so far suggest he’s more than capable of doing both of those things. So far, it’s been a match made in heaven.

There have been several important factors in that fast start, but arguably none more so than Marc Casado, who has established himself as La Blaugrana’s secret weapon.

If you’ve kept a close eye on Planet Football, you might remember the name. We first told you about Casado back in summer, when Barcelona were just dusting off the cobwebs in pre-season.

The Spanish midfielder impressed and gained Flick’s trust heading into the season, which has resulted in him being one of several key figures in a youthful, La Masia flavoured rejuvenation of the squad.

Several young ballers are shining at Barca this season, but Casado is the man to watch in the middle of the park. The 21-year-old hustles like no other, eating up ground and combining it with clean, but tough tackles and smart passing decisions.

With Flick keen to inject energy and quality into the side in equal amounts, Casado has quietly emerged as the German’s lynchpin, combining his La Masia learnings with an unrelenting energy, as if he’s some sort of alien hybrid of both Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka.

His most recent performance against Getafe was testament to that, as La Blaugrana made it seven league wins out of seven with a 1-0 win.

Marc Casado vs Getafe

Another great performance pic.twitter.com/RXCZOv1KHB

— ʀᴀ4 🎥 (@beastRaujo_) September 25, 2024

Move aside, Cupra – Flick’s Barcelona are now officially the sexiest Spanish/German crossover in town. And Casado is the engine powering it.

The 21-year-old played every minute against the Geta Azulones and put together a blinding display, winning six out of eight ground duels. two out of three tackles, making three recoveries and one block, while also zapping nine passes into the final third and creating a chance.

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Industrious doesn’t quite do him justice. And neither does a stats bomb or even a highlight reel from his latest La Liga outing.

Casado has featured in five of their seven league games this season and their unfortunate defeat away to Monaco, but considering this time last season he was a complete outcast in the side, his rapid rise and assumption of responsibilities has been remarkable.

Flick’s side now have a favourable run of fixtures both domestically and in Europe. We urge you to tune in and focus on Casado – he’s already their most important asset and will only continue to grow in influence.

By Mitch Wilks