Barcelona’s recent0-0 draw against Getafewas largely marred by the number of cautions the referee had to sanction during the game.
As many as ten cards – eight yellows and two reds – got out of the official’s pocket and evenXavi got the taste of itby receiving his marching orders in the second period.
However, one thing that did slip out from the game was Xavi’s trust in 16-year-old prodigy, Lamine Yamal.
According to a ɾєρօɾτ fromSPORT, the manager’s trust in the versatile youngster is total and this can be understood by the fact that before introducing experienced names like Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres, the 43-year-old turned to the 16-year-old with the hope that he could do some magic.
A trust that speaks volumes
Despite being just 16 years of age, Yamal has exhibited confidence and this is exactly what Xavi needed to break the rigid Getafe defence.
Although Yamal could not be on the scoresheet, his threat was inevitable.
Against Tottenham in the Joan Gamper Trophy, Yamal was involved in the last three goals and his outing against Getafe was no different. The 16-year-old was involved right from the moment he got on.
He first set up Pedri deep towards the goal and shortly after this, he sent an inviting ball to Ansu who failed to beat David Soria.
Overall, the 16-year-old was an absolute menace for the Getafe defence and although he did miss a shot, the early signs are extremely positive.
Judging by his recent performance in top-flight football, it is not hard to see why Xavi trusts him a lot, and even the player, who is still a diamond in the ɾօυɢҺ, is repaying the faith.
For now, the manager would want to integrate Yamal slowly into the first team. Meanwhile, the youngster can assess the work of others and continuous growth is rightly expected from thereon.
