Ferran Torres and Eric Garcia have been the ultimate squad players all season long, but when they have been called upon to start, they have played exceptionally well.
Coming into this season, they were looked at as nothing more than rotational pieces that were on their way out the door, but as injuries piled up they were Barca's last hope to keep the season alive, where they stepped up to the challenge and delivered, cementing their place on this Barca squad.
Exciting Beginnings for Youngsters
Eric Garcia and Ferran Torres have had a tough time at Barcelona since transferring over from Manchester City in 2021. Initially, both were seen as key players to the team, as they both had a great debut season as the squad's youngsters.
Eric Garcia was just 20 years old when he transferred to Barca, and Ferran Torres was 21 at the time. Both players seemed to have a future at the club, and it seemed inevitable that they would become stars sooner rather than later.
Disappointing Seasons
After their debut seasons, the youngsters seemed to fall down the pecking order as Xavi began to favor others in the pecking order, both offensively and defensively, which saw Torres and Garcia get a reduced role.
When they got gametime, it seemed that they didn't fit Xavi's scheme too much, and their form suffered as a result. For the next few years, they seemed to be on the way out of the club since they were playing so poorly. At the time, their value was at its lowest, so while the club was looking for a team to take on the youngsters, nobody would give the club back what they initially paid, and due to Barca's financial crisis at the time, the sale couldn't be justified by the board.
Eventually, Torres was seen as a rotation player who only came on to cover for a tired or injured player, meanwhile Garcia was loaned out to Girona for a season. This seemed to be the beginning of the end for these players' Barca careers.
Early Struggles Under Flick
Fast forward to this season, both players had a similar role to start the season under the new Barca coach, Hansi Flick. The German international didn't use either player very consistently to start the season, with Torres not featuring in a full 90-minute game until nearly October of 2024 and Garcia similarly not seeing a full game until the end of September 2024. It was clear from the jump that Flick had his starting XI already picked out from the jump, seeing as all his starters played nearly the entire match and hardly got much rest for the first few weeks of the season. It was a testament to how Flick wanted to play and how he wanted to have his players buy into his strategy from day one, which worked out great for Barca, but left some players on the outskirts of his plans.
Ferran Torres was mainly used as a backup striker for Lewandowski initially, where he had to compete with the newly signed Pau Victor for minutes, meanwhile, Eric Garcia didn't have a clearly defined role. Flick saw him as a jack of all trades, playing him all over the pitch, ranging from a midfielder to a center back, and even a fullback.
Spaniards Bounce Back
Later in the season, the injury bug began to hit Barcelona, with players like Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, and Robert Lewandowski all missing time as the season progressed. This forced Flick to improvise throughout the season as many of his key players and the players he needed to execute his plan were out for extended periods of time, and as more players got injured, Barca's bench got thinner and thinner. Eventually, Spaniards Eric Garcia and Ferran Torres were given their first real chance to prove themselves in late April 2025 in Matchweek 33 against Mallorca.
This game marked Garcia's first elite game in the right-back position as he stepped into the huge hole that was left when Kounde went down. Kounde has by far been one of the team's best defenders, and having him injured left an integral part of the team exposed. His connection with Yamal has been one of the best linkups in the world, so Flick was reluctant to let Garcia step in, but he had no other choice. Garcia, who had been playing mainly as a center back and a midfielder at this point, stepped up with no fear and gave an assist and completed a whopping 91.4% of his passes.
Torres had a similarly impactful game as he stepped in for Pichichi candidate Lewandowski, despite his lackluster stat line in comparison. Even though he wasn't able to register a goal or assist in the game, his movements, linkup play, and defensive efforts opened up opportunities for the other Barcelona attackers. He was able to occupy space, which freed Olmo as he scored the matchwinner.
This game clearly impressed Flick, as he continued to trust the Spaniard duo moving forward, including during their Champions League clash against Inter Milan and during the Clásico Copa Del Rey final. Torres registered five G/A in his final four games of the season, and Garcia was a rock defensively and had some excellent ball progression, which made the attack just as fluid as it was with Kounde.
Key Role Players Moving Forward
Eric Garcia and Ferran Torres more than proved their worth to the team, both as starters and rotational pieces. Having players that are willing to accept their role on the team, have great chemistry, relatively low wages, and most importantly step up when they are needed most are what takes a team from good to great, and Barcelona is an extremely lucky club to have players like Torres and Garcia who fit that bill. After their stellar performances, there is no question that these players deserve a spot on Barca's roster, and they are poised to make some noise next season as well.