‘Why they do great’ – Gundogan details how Barcelona youngsters are making the difference this season

Most of the 2023/24 season seemed to be rotten for Barcelona right from the get-go, with the team unable to restore their form from the previous season when they lifted La Liga for the first time in four years.

However, over the course of the last several weeks, Barcelona have looked like a different side, largely due to how Xavi has managed and trusted his players.

This includes 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi, 18-year-old Marc Guiu, and 17-year-old Hector Fort.

All four of these players, alongside the rest of the regular younguns like Pedri, Gavi, and Alejandro Balde, have been an important part of the team.

“Adapting to younger players? It’s easy, but it’s probably easier for the youngsters. When you ae a bit older sometimes you don’t understand some things,” Gundogan said about the youth in the team, as quoted by SPORT.

“Some of us veterans could easily be the parents of some of the youngsters who play with us!”

Gundogan ‘learning’ from the youngsters

During Barcelona’s game against Atletico Madrid, Gundogan was spotted applauding Lamine Yamal briefly when the youngster decided against accelerating the game at 0-3 up, and instead, slowed down the game.

He was, therefore, asked about how it is like playing with players coming through La Masia, which is a different culture compared to most other European academies, anyway.

“The youngsters at Barcelona come from a different generation, they grow up in a different way and you don’t have the same mentality as them. But honestly, I’m also learning from them, from their perspective,” Gundo answered.

He went on to talk about how the young players are dealing with pressure, especially Pau Cubarsi and Yamal.

“I love when young players train or play without too much pressure, like Yamal and Cubarsi. They just go out and play, they do not feel the pressure. And that is why they do great.”

“When I was 16 or 17, and they put me on the pitch, I was nervous about making mistakes. I was even a bit shy, but we need this freshness and the squad is very proud that they are helping us so much,” the German midfielder concluded.