Marc Casado scout report: 18-year-old talent primed to succeed Busquets at Barcelona

Barcelona have never lacked quality midfielders, neither in their senior squad nor in LaMasia.

The La Liga giants have always been blessed with highly technical, diminutive and versatile players capable of controlling and deciding games through their sheer talent and skill.

However, one position theyve struggled to patch up is the pivot.

Occupied by Sergio Busquets for what feels like an eternity now, the defensive midfielder role is yet to get its rightful heir to the throne.

Even though weve seen the likes of Nico González and Jandro Orellana attempt to stake claim at it, so far, the definite answer is yet to come.

But Juvenil As captain Marc Casado Torras seems like a player moulded for specifically that role.

This Marc Casado tactical analysis will dissect his player profile to see how hed fit Barcelonas tactics.

The analysis will also provide you with a full Marc Casado scout report too, highlighting both strengths and weaknesses of the young midfielder.

Player overview

Marc Casadó is an 18-year-old defensive midfielder, currently plying his trade for Barcelonas U19 or Juvenil A team.

The youngster is a right-footed player mostly positioned deeper on the pitch and either slotting directly ahead of the backline or between the centre-backs, not unlike Busquets for the senior squad.

In terms of his role, Casadó is mostly a ball-recycler, capable of beating the pressure through his crisp close control and great decision making in possession.

That being said, he is not a very adventurous passer, as well see further down the line of this tactical analysis.

He will retain possession at a very high level but will mostly deploy passes that carry less risk.

Above, we can see his heatmap, which can tell us more about his movement and positioning. Casadós movement is an incredible weapon in his arsenal as he has excellent awareness to recognise where and when to move across the pitch. This not only opens new passing channels but also corrects other teammates positioning as well, something which will be explored further as well.

Of course, the 18-year-old is not without weaknesses, as is always the case with such young prospects. Defensively, while aware, Casadó can be late for challenges and his 1v1 duels still leave something to be desired. Similarly, for a player of great technical quality and exceptional close control, he is sometimes reluctant to run with the ball.

This scout report will now move on to some of his