How do you rate Munir, Sandro and Traore? Munir was excellent on his debut and looks like an excellent prospect. Is it fair to say that some of these guys or Munir alone is above Delofeu in the pecking order? Was it his lack of team etic which made Barca send him to Sevilla on loan? Always thought he would be the next big thing out of La Masia, certainly has the talent and age on his side though...
Sandro (19) had a great year with Vinyals 2 years ago and then after his injury took some time to recapture his form. For me, he is the least talented of the 3 you mentioned - a skilled goalscorer who does his best work as a poacher ala Raul. He's atypical of Barcelona forwards for me and the one I feel won't ultimately have a future at the club - just too many better options available. The irony is that his knee injury allowed Munir to move up to Juvenil A and when Sanabria fled Munir really flourished
Munir (19) is a tough player to rate since his progress has been so astonishing, came virtually out of nowhere and keeps scoring goals. He's a prototypical #9 so it'll be interesting to see how he's used out wide since Barcelona don't really play with one on the 1st team. He has a bit of David Villa about him, like Sanabria he has a fantastic left foot. In the UEFA Youth League semis & final, I watched him practising freekicks for a long time - impressive technique, touch & accuracy. He's got speed, footwork, workrate and extremely smart - he plays like a veteran. Biggest weakness is undoubtedly his right foot which is far from dangerous. He's made most at the club feel much better about losing Sanabria and right about now the Paraguayan must be wondering if he made the right decision to bolt
Adama (18) is a beast, as much as I usually dislike that term to describe a footballer nevermind an African but he's compact, powerful, skilled and blessed with incredible acceleration. I've yet to see him caught from behind by anyone. His breakout has been over the past year as he was really a setup/assist man who wasn't really renowned for his goalscoring. Enter Vinyals who has really gotten the best out of him and his ceiling is virtually limitless as well. It'll be a big year for him with the B team as there is no way he won't be playing first team football by next season. Been at the club since he was 8 years old, I am a big fan of Adama
Deulofeu (20) is a tough issue to figure out and personally I'm not happy at all the way the club has handled his development. For me, the most skilled player in the cantera - his biggest weakness is the tracking back and pressing. On the weaknesses, this is where Munir has shown a better overall game compared to Gerard and probably why he was shipped out again to Sevilla. You could see the dejection in the player's face in the first match under Emery and for the Catalan talent who has rebuffed poachers from the Premiership for several years now, a bitter pill no doubt. I have to think the club still understands how valuable a talent he is but we're also approaching a point where being Catalan and having club loyalty will not matter if he's not given 1st team chances with Barcelona. He's far from the finished article but has deserved a chance with the first team, IMHO. Over the past 6 years many cantera players have gotten their shot with the first team but Deulofeu who is arguably the most precious youth talent at the club hasn't really. I feel some tough love from Lucho on this and while it may work out, it could also backfire. The good is that Emery is a great coach to sharpen the areas of his game that need it and Sevilla is a perfect situation (Better than the one at Everton, IMO)
Emery had this to say a few days ago wrt Deulofeu:
The more we leave him alone, the better. He has to settle in, can't pressure him, he has to break free and grow. He has examples nearby he can look to. Now, he needs experience. He has talent but to become an elite footballer he's missing a step. Gerard knows this and his coaches have told him this before. Here he came to get polished with all the demands of the world. He has to work and is on that path.
Incidentally, Spain's U21 playing their Euro match against Hungary in 30 minutes. Munir starting along with Denis Suarez, Deulofeu, Sergi Roberto
