Barcelona draw but future on display against Huesca

With Barcelona looking ahead to Manchester United, Ernesto Valverde rotated and got a glimpse of the club’s future.

Barcelona were held to a scoreless draw on the road against Huesca. Despite the result, the real story of the game was Ernesto Valverde not only gave minutes to those who needed it, he gave league debuts to players such as Jean-Clair Todibo, Moussa Wague, and Riqui Puig.

Puig and Todibo in particular stood out. The former started in midfield alongside Arturo Vidal and Carles Aleña. The 19-year old did not look out-of-place in the slightest. He should have had an assist in the first-half as he delivered a pass to Ousmane Dembele inside the box but the Frenchman’s shot was saved. Todibo, who was brought in from Toulouse, showed tremendous calm as part of a back three defense and looked well beyond his years demonstrating why Barcelona decided to bring him in now rather than in the summer.

What this proves is that despite key players like Busquets, Pique, Suarez, and Messi getting up there in age, there is still plenty of talent coming up the La Masia pipeline as well as bringing in young talent from abroad. With all the criticism that Ernesto Valverde has received for his supposed lack of faith in youth, the game against Huesca was a step in the right direction in quelling those criticisms.

Even though he’s a full-fledged member of the first team, it was important for Carles Aleña to start since he has not been used much this season. Similar to Sergi Roberto, he takes advantage of his opportunities when they come and does not complain or go to the media demanding more playing time. He knows how good he can be and that eventually his time will come and he just needs to be patient.

With Ernesto Valverde signed through next season and the current crop of Barcelona superstars in the twilight of their careers, Valverde will need to rely more on the aforementioned talent alongside more established players. With Frenkie de Jong joining next season and the probability of Matthijs de Ligt signing being quite high, there will be a lot of young talent fighting for spots next season. It will be up to the manager to manage their minutes.

But if there is any solace to take for Barcelona and its fans when the likes of Messi, Pique, and Busquets retire, is that it looks like the future is in good hands.