Enrique insists he is happy to continue placing faith in youth

Andy West 07:52 22/09/2015
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  • Luis Enrique’s Barcelona travel to face to his former club Celta Vigo on Wednesday.

    Luis Enrique insists he is happy to continue placing his faith in Barcelona’s youth, and also stated he will be prepared to repeat his tactical tinkerings as the season unfolds.

    Enrique rested several first-team regulars during Sunday’s 4-1 victory over Levante, as well as experimenting with a new formation with Lionel Messi in midfield behind a three-man forward line of Neymar, Munir El Haddadi and Sandro.

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    The hosts took advantage of some sloppy defending from Levante to comfortably break through with strikes from Neymar, Marc Bartra and a brace from Messi, who also missed a penalty.

    Munir and Sandro, both 20, exerted little impact, but Enrique claimed he was pleased with their performances as he said: “I am very satisfied with the game and to see that we have a lot of resources within the squad. I liked how Munir and Sandro played, and they needed minutes. They are young, they can score and they have potential.”

    Another youngster given playing time was midfielder Gerard Gumbau, and Enrique stated he will continue to shuffle his pack, adding: “We have seven games in the space of 22 days, and players need to rest.

    “We have to distribute the minutes across the squad.”

    The opening goal was scored by another relatively inexperienced player, Bartra, although at the age of 24 it’s no longer possible to regard the central defender as ‘one for the future’.

    Bartra has been consistently overlooked by a succession of Barca bosses since first breaking into the squad as a teenager and he needed Thomas Vermaelen and Gerard Pique – injured and suspended – to be absent in order to gain a start. But he responded well by driving forward to score and looking after his defensive duties with diligence.

    The unusual formation, with Messi moving inside from the right, was only partially successful as Barca looked more open in midfield and vulnerable on the counter.

    Enrique said: “We knew they would play with a line of five at the back and that it would be tough to hurt them.

    “Our system depends upon who we are playing against and the players we think are most suited to each game. We have many options.”

    TALENTED TRIO 

    Sandro Ramirez
    Versatile forward scored on debut in ‘14-15 but has since struggled for consistency.

    Munir El Haddadi
    Looked a real prospect last term, playing 10 games, but appears low on confidence.

    Gerard Gumbau
    Left-footed midfielder made debut as a sub for Busquets. Enrique is a big admirer.

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