Former Barcelona defender talks Roque, La Masia and praises Flick – ‘They are the best’

Former Barcelona defender Marc Bartra recently sat down with Gerard Romero for an interview, where he discussed many things related to Barça this season, including Hansi Flick’s high defensive line.

Bartra also talked about Vitor Roque, who joined Real Betis on a loan deal last summer and is currently a teammate.

Bartra on Flick’s defensive line and La Masia

The standout feature in Flick’s Barcelona this season has been the high defensive line, which has been perfectly executed by Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez.

When asked about the defensive line, Bartra said, “It seems that the defensive line works well. You may concede a goal, but you are allowed to close the distances and recover the ball faster. You dominate more than the opponent.

As a former youth graduate at La Masia, Bartra also talked about the famed academy and how it has produced a series of top talents for Barcelona in the past few years.

Bartra is not surprised by La Masia’s success (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

“It’s no coincidence that we see this level of Barcelona with so many players from La Masia. It’s a world-class team. They’re the best,” he said.

Formerly of Borussia Dortmund, Bartra had joined the famed La Masia back in 2002, working his way through the youth ranks before eventually joining the senior team in 2012.

Bartra on Vitor Roque

Bartra also talked about Roque, his teammate at Real Betis, who is on loan at the club till the end of the season.

“Before Vitor Roque arrived here, they asked me to take good care of him. He’s a special guy. He hasn’t had an easy time. I have a lot of confidence in him,” he said about Roque.

Roque joined Real Betis in a desperate attempt to find regular game-time, especially after a poor start to his career at Barcelona.

As we approach the midway point of the campaign, the Brazilian has not disappointed so far, integrating himself into Manuel Pellegrini’s setup rather rapidly.