Barcelona clearly struggled at the start of last season with the exit of Iñigo Martínez, which left a hole in the center-back position as Barça lacked a world-class partner and veteran presence next to Pau Cubarsí.
But the second half of the season brought some very good news in the form of Gerard Martín, who was converted from left-back and became a reliable central defender with room to grow even more as he learns the position.
Martín spoke recently about the switch to center-back, and is now committed to being a full-time player in the position.
“I think I’ve competed at the level that Barcelona demands. [Flick] wanted to test me in preseason and I feel very comfortable. At first, my mind was torn between the two positions because I kept switching, but now I’m set on center-back. I think I had a very good year, although I can always improve.”
Another young left-footed center-back who caught the eye of Barça fans is Álvaro Cortés, who made his debut against Deportivo Alavés last May and showed plenty of quality, and his performances in preseason have raised his profile even higher within the Barça ranks.
In fact, Diario SPORT reports Flick and the coaching staff have complete confidence in Cortés and are more than comfortable with the idea of having the 21-year-old as a full-time first team player and not go into the market to look for another defender.
Martín and Cortés join Pau Cubarsí, Eric Garcia, Andreas Christensen and Ronald Araujo as Barça’s current center-back options, and despite the recent links with Aymeric Laporte and Cristian Romero it looks as though Flick is satisfied enough with his defenders to not push for a signing in the position.
So today’s Barca Blaugranes Question of the Day is:
Should Barcelona trust their young defenders or sign a world-class CB this summer?
Now it’s over to you! Feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and answers in the comments section below!
