FC Barcelona has started their 2024/25 campaign with a 4-1 penalty win in an enthralling encounter against Manchester City. Given the grit and dedication the young talents from La Masia showed for Flick's side, there seems not a better way that FC Barcelona would have started their Flick era than this combined team effort.
From taking the lead twice against one of the best European teams in the world to holding their nerves till the end minutes, the Barcelona boys showed the hunger to win it for themselves. Add to that the superb cameo of Ander Astralaga, who saved back-to-back penalties to give Barca an inevitable upper edge against Pep's side.
Overall, the game witnessed a brilliant performance from most of the Blaugrana players, but here are the 3 stars who stood out in the preseason opener against Manchester City:
Marc Casado
Since Barca started their preseason training sessions, Casado has shown signs of brilliance, being a consistent performer in the eyes of Flick's staff. Thus, it was expected that the 20-year-old would turn out to be one of the key players in Barca's preseason tour, and guess what? He replicated the same.
Unlike conventional pivots, Casado displayed an impressive participation in the Catalan club's offensive duties. Though he got a bit unlucky on his attempt to fetch the go-ahead goal, through a lovely shot from outside the box, Casado soon made the goal contribution, which saw Barca go 1-0 against the Etihad club.
Being rock solid in defensive duties, with the required flair of offensive prowess, Casado has shown the potential it takes to sustain at the highest level. In the absence of De Jong, Pedri, and Gavi at the start of the season, Casado would be the man to watch out for in the Barcelona midfield.
Pablo Torre
Being one of the most talented youngsters at FC Barcelona, Pablo Torre has shown his potential time and again with his performances at the Blaugrana club. Not to forget his goal against Olot in the closed-doors friendly had given FC Barcelona the go-ahead goal that secured the first win for Barca in the 2024/25 campaign.
And now, the youngster has replicated it against Manchester City. Not only did he give Barcelona the go-ahead goal in the last kick of the first half, but his overall performance held the game tightly for Barcelona in the final third. Though he missed on the opportunity to seal the game with a brace, Torre's overall performance would certainly see him in the vicinity of Barca's next season's XI.
Ander Astralaga
Though there could have been many names for the 3rd spot, coming in as the super sub and winning it in the penalties with back-to-back saves is not for everybody. Standing firm against one of the best catalogs of players, holding his nerves, Astralaga pulled off an amazing win through his cat-like reflexes.
Going forward, Astralaga has shown the potential that might see him succeed Ter Stegen at the Blaugrana club. Though Barca's starting goalkeeper Inaki Pena pulled some brilliant saves, his overall performance hasn't been at par with Barcelona standards. Thus, Astralaga poses as the ideal replacement for Ter Stegen in the future.