- Pau Cubarsi spoke from a presentation to mark the 24th edition of the MIC youth tournament.
- The defender says that FC Barcelona will ‘give our all’ against Newcastle, implying that this will be enough to qualify for the Champions League quarterfinals.
- Hansi Flick’s men drew 1-1 at St James’ Park in the last 16 first leg thanks to a last-gasp Lamine Yamal penalty
- But the Blaugrana have been criticised by fans and pundits back home for a lacklustre performance, and have everything to do in the second leg at Camp Nou on Wednesday.
FC Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi issued a rallying cry to his teammates, saying that if they advance to the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday, it will be because they have given “everything” against last 16 foe Newcastle United, in comments picked up by Mundo Deportivo from the unveiling of the MIC youth tournament’s latest edition.
Cubarsi attended the event with Barça Feminí star Kika Nazareth, and was asked about facing Real Madrid “every week” as seems to be the case with the women’s team at the moment.
From March 25th to April 2nd, the outfit which also features Ballon d’Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati will do battle with Madrid no fewer than three times both in the league and the Champions League quarterfinals.
“If the schedule is already demanding, imagine playing against Madrid many times in a week. But at the moment what we have to do is focus on the next game against Sevilla,” Cubarsi demanded.
FC Barcelona must improve to advance in the Champions League
Flick should rest players at the Spotify Camp Nou for the Andalusians’ visit, where I’ll be in the pressbox for ReadBarcelona.
Yet if the men want to at least reach the same stage of Europe’s premier competition as the women have, they will have to be far better than their last outing on the continent.
On Tuesday in St. James’ Park, they drew 1-1 with Eddie Howe’s Premier League side and were on the backfoot for most of the first leg affair.
It seemed as though the ‘Toon’ had pulled off a victory for the ages by leading 1-0, which would’ve well-deserved given they were the better of the two combatants for the most part.
After Dani Olmo cut inside the box and was brought down by Malick Thiaw in stoppage time, though, Lamine Yamal converted the resulting spot kick with what proved to be the last touch of the game.
For the return leg then, which this time I’ll watch in the Gol Sud behind the net and the new 800-strong Grada d’Animació (Animation Stand), Cubarsi knows that Barça must do better yet is confident that they can get the job done.
FC Barcelona’s Teenage Star Cubarsi Sets the Tone On and Off the Field
Such comments from Cubarsi should not come as a surprise. A 19-year-old leader who has been in the elite since Xavi Hernandez gave him his debut in 2023 aged just 16, he already speaks like a seasoned veteran with the kind of fearlessness typical of his 2007 generation which also features the likes of Lamine Yamal, Marc Bernal and Xavi Espart.
Against Newcastle, he was one of few bright sparks in the heart of the defence. He received a 7.2 rating from Whoscored, which was second only to left winger Raphinha on 7.3, but had a team-high of 60 passes with 87% passing accuracy.
The La Masia youngster put in two key tackles amid showing the high level concentration that will be required from Barca’s back line and the rest of the squad, against a team that will be looking to press high and intensely in Newcastle.
FC Barcelona are still favourites to progress
Unbeaten at the Spotify Camp Nou this season, with just one home defeat in all competitions which came in Montjuic against Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain, Barça are still favourites to progress at their Tynside foes’ expense.
In the first leg at St. James’ Park, the Catalans struggled with the raucous atmosphere created by the stands and rough, physical transitions on the pitch which resulted in a worryingly low 350 completed passes and 85% accuracy well below their usual 90% according to UEFA.
With the Grada d’Animació back in the stands and the new Gol Nord open increasing the capacity to something around the 62,000 mark however, the Spotify Camp Nou will make things hostile for Newcastle.
While both pitches are officially the same size, that in Barcelona feels less claustrophobic with the fans not as close to pitch, and gives the optical illusion of it being more spacious than in northeast England allowing the likes of Pedri and Marc Bernal to feel more comfortable and less suffocated firing passes off at will.
Tom’s Take
Though they could be taken as being a little overconfident given on how they are reported, Cubarsi’s words will ring true.
If Barça give their all and are better than they were on Tuesday, they should have the quality to see off Newcastle before home fans in Catalonia – but marked improvements will have to be made.
Flick needs to rotate and rest some big stars such as Pedri and Marc Bernal, who was exhausted after 70 minutes in the first leg, which could mean minutes for the likes of Marc Casado and Tommy Marques against Sevilla.
Leading Real Madrid by four points at the league summit, Barça can afford to drop some if necessary – though of course that won’t be ideal.
