With just two games of the La Liga season played, Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has quickly proved he is different to predecessor Tata Martino in one respect: the level of trust he places in the club’s young players.
While Martino significantly restricted first-team opportunities available to homegrown players such as Cristian Tello, Marc Bartra, Martin Montoya and Sergi Roberto, Enrique has already introduced three players from the club’s ‘La Masia’ youth system.
After scoring in the season opener against Elche, Munir El Haddadi was given a second successive start in Sunday’s 1-0 victory at Villarreal. So too was Rafinha, who was elected to start ahead of Xavi in midfield, while 19-year-old Sandro rewarded Enrique for introducing him from the bench by netting a debut winner at El Madrigal.
Enrique admitted he has been delighted by the response of the inexperienced players he has thrown into the deep end, saying: “I’m pleased to see that the youngsters are helping us so much.
“We are happy for Sandro and with all of the hard work that the young players are doing.”
Another player under the microscope at Villarreal was experienced full-back Dani Alves, who was returning to the scene of a game which hit headlines towards the end of last season when he responded to being pelted with bananas by picking one up and eating it.
Alves was goaded by Villarreal fans throughout the encounter and endured a hit and miss occasion, receiving plenty of possession down the right wing but often wasting it by delivering badly aimed crosses into the penalty area.
Nevertheless, Alves earned praise from his manager after the game for his persistence in attempting to put Villarreal under pressure, and the Brazilian insisted he was happy with his deliveries into the box.
“There is no point crossing the ball if there’s no-one there to score and now we’re gathering more people in the area, it’s easier to find a target,” he said.
“I want to improve on what I’ve done in the past and help my team-mates score a lot of goals.”