Xavi Espart continues to surprise on his debut with Barça. A starter for the first five days of La Liga at just 19 years old, the Catalan-trained full-back opened his account against Levante, scoring the first Blaugrana goal. A new performance which confirms his status as a revelation at the start of the season, to the point of pushing several observers to already consider him as the indisputable holder on the left ahead of Alejandro Baldé or even Cancelo.
Reactions quickly flooded into the Spanish media, impressed by the young defender’s influence in Barça’s game. Spanish journalist Jordi Martí spoke to the microphone of the Cadena SER : “Listen, Espart has established himself on the left. He knew how to take advantage of his talent, his ambition and the fact that Baldé is not 100%. He found an opportunity and he is exploiting it. Xavi Espart is the starter ». For his part, Lobo Carrasco goes even further on El Chiringuito : “Espart, we have an extra player. When Barça has the ball, he is an extra midfielder”. A reading which perfectly illustrates the evolution of the role of the full-back in Hansi Flick’s system.
