Barcelona's expectations of Ansu Fati as the club's next superstar can be seen in the shirt number worn by the teenager. Lionel Messi, barely packing at camp Nou, handed the legendary Argentine's top 10 shirt to the legendary Argentinian in a symbolic move aimed at reassuring fans of the Catalans' current direction. For the clubs that are still shocked this summer by the withdrawal of their best player of all time, comfort has been in short supply. Messi is more than just a footballer. He is the embodiment of FC Barcelona's principles and values. Messi's separation from Barca is so painful because he is Barca.
Now, though, as a La Masia graduate, the world is right under his feet, and Ansu symbolizes Barcelona's hope for the future, which is justified by all accounts. The 18-year-old has played in 47 senior games for Barca, scoring 15 goals and providing 6 assists. After 11 months out of the game due to injury, Ansu found the goal in just 13 minutes in his opening game of the season for Barcelona on Sunday. The teenager already had an iconic goal, as Messi did when he was younger – he finished the game with a one-two finish on the edge of the penalty area before his right-footed shot into the far corner of the net. Of course, one-on-two won't work without a pass, and it looks like Memphis Depay will be Ansu's best partner this season – it's the Dutchman who equalised against Valencia for the 18-year-old. The two attackers appear to be already at the same wavelength. That means a lot for Barcelona and head coach Ronald Koeman, whose team has been sorely lacking in coherence so far this season. This was exposed on international matchday, when Spain took many players from the Catalan club and they performed better than Barca at any time in 2021, especially in midfield. Ansu and Memphis have once again given Barcelona goals in the post-Messi era. In a 3-1 win over Valencia alongside Sergio Busquets, Frankie De Jong and Garvey, they showed a strong performance in 58 minutes on the pitch, and they were eager to pass the ball to one of them.
Barca's game remains uneven, as evidenced by the trade defender Sergino Dest's role as a right-winger against Valencia. Koeman needs to stay vertical on one wing, while Ansu quickly cuts into the interior from the left, he needs to be on the right and he lacks options. But with Ansour and Memphis providing hubs for attacking efficiency on the left, while Alba providing breadth over overlapping positions at full-backs, Barcelona once again have the core of a winning team, especially if Koeman can find a way to create effective midfielders out of Busquets, De Jong, Garvey and Pedri, who will soon return from injury. Some might argue that achieving good results at this stage of the season actually does more harm than good for Barcelona in the medium to long term. Many fans have made up their minds about Koeman and believe that replacing the Dutchman is the fastest way to recover. Anything that prolongs this situation could prolong Barca's demise.
This week is likely to determine Koeman's immediate fate. Barcelona started with a win over Valencia on Sunday but will have to do well in the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev (the Catalans face a struggle to reach the final 16) and el Clasico against Real Madrid. Koeman is likely to leave next week, which is entirely doable. Ansu has just returned from injury, but Barca need him and Memphis and everything they have to offer as a couple. Koeman's job was in jeopardy, and he would certainly do it. Messi's ghost still lingers at Camp Nou, but the teenager likened him to the Dutchman signing him to take him over, which gave Barcelona a chance.