Barcelona did not make a lot of moves in the summer transfer market, with only three new signings arriving in the form of Joan Garcia, Marcus Rashford, and Roony Bardghji.
Of the three, there were never any doubts about Garcia, considering his exceptional performances in La Liga last season, while Bardghji was brought in as more of a star for the future.
Rashford, however, was a bit of a gamble, one endorsed by manager Hansi Flick himself, even if he only arrived on loan. After all, the England international had endured a rough last season in the Premier League.
Flick’s priority – get Rashford up and running
As highlighted by SPORT, integrating Marcus Rashford into this Barcelona team’s dynamic has been a priority for Hansi Flick.
The absence of Lamine Yamal provided the perfect context to give continuity to the Englishman. The teenage gem, who trained with the group yesterday and is now back, missed the last four matches against Valencia, Newcastle United, Getafe, and Real Oviedo.
Rashford started three of these four matches, only getting benched against Getafe, after arriving two minutes late to the activation session.
Flick invests in players he considers to have higher potential ceilings, even if others may be in better form. In Rashford’s case, he has always reminded people that he has admired the player since his early career.
Flick’s personal bet. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
The Barcelona manager’s persistence was decisive in bringing Rashford to the club last summer.
“I spoke to Rashford in July and told him: I need you on my team. I’m not surprised by these goals. He is an incredibly talented player with a great ability to finish off attacks. We had seen him score goals like these in training,” Flick said after the win vs Newcastle.
Improvements seen
The German stressed the importance of scoring for Rashford’s confidence, but made it clear he would keep pushing him to reach the next level. And it is being seen in his performances.
Against Real Oviedo, Rashford returned to the starting XI and provided an assist for Ronald Araujo.
So far, he has proven to be a differential player when there is space, although he sometimes struggles with precision in his control and in combination play when opponents sit deep. The forward is also showing a strong attitude towards pressing and defensive work.
The return of Lamine suggested Rashford might lose prominence, but Raphinha’s setback has once again changed the scenario.
The Englishman is now expected to continue on the left wing in the coming matches, with Lamine on the right and Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski competing for the No. 9 role. And Flick will continue working to integrate him into the setup more successfully.
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