Free-scoring Barcelona midfielder creates a new dilemma for Xavi | OneFootball

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Although Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi have clearly taken most of the spotlight this season, another youngster who is performing at a very high level for FC Barcelona is the midfielder, Fermin Lopez.

Ever since making his debut with the first team in the pre-season, and making his mark in the Dallas friendly against Real Madrid, the youngster has left everything on the pitch to help his team whenever Xavi called upon his services.

In the last few weeks, he has also been scoring goals at a good rate, as he has scored four of his total eight goals in the last one and a half months. As SPORT has reported, these good performances, in addition to helping Xavi, are also creating some good problems for the Barcelona head coach.

Lopez’s performances have questioned whether Xavi should continue with the trusted midfield of Andreas Christensen in the pivot, and Gundogan and Pedri playing ahead of him as interiors.

Gundogan is one of the most essential players for Xavi at this time, and Pedri is also seemingly returning to his best, and this was on display as he successfully won a race against Diego Lopez to avoid a goal in the last game against Valencia. Christensen was substituted at halftime in this match, as he is not in his best physical condition.

Fermin himself was one of the best performers in this match, and actually scored the first goal of the game with a header, beating Valencia defenders despite his rather average height. This goal was evident of the youngster’s ability to get into dangerous areas and a testament to his intensity.

Furthermore, the youngster has shown that he performs best when he plays a game from the very start, and seven of his eight goals have come in matches when he had at least 45 minutes to play on the pitch.

Thus, currently, he is a favorite to be a starter in the midfield for the upcoming match against Girona, a game that can have significant implications for Barcelona’s pursuit of a second-place finish in La Liga.