La Masia proceed to provide proficient gamers and Angel Alarcon has not too long ago caught the eye of the employees and Barcelona supervisor Xavi. For a number of seasons, the striker has been thought of one of the crucial promising gamers within the academy.
If the present marketing campaign is something to go by, Angel deserves all of the appreciation and recognition. The 18-year-old has returned from a 14-month knee damage however has been spectacular from the beginning. There isn’t any indication that the unfortunate damage that eradicated him from taking part within the preseason with the first-team two years in the past didn’t have an effect on his acceleration or dynamics. Within the YCL(Youth Champions League) alone, he scored three objectives and made the identical variety of assists. In complete, this season, he has twelve objectives, 5 assists and a penalty gained, thus noting a aim share on common each 84 minutes, which interprets right into a direct share of 36% of objectives scored by his staff.
The ahead is a part of a fantastic 2004 technology that additionally consists of Pablo Paez Gavi, Diego Almeida, Ilias Akhomach, Aleix Garrido, Arnau Casas and Toni Caravaca. FootTheBall highlights all of Angel Alarcon’s strengths and what are you able to count on from him.
Who’s Angel Alarcon?
Born on 15 Might 2004, Angel Alarcon began enjoying for Vista Alegre de Castelldefels. There he already showcased glimpses of his high quality and sometimes competed with gamers older than him. Barcelona who had been monitoring Alarcon for a while, didn’t hesitate to signal him in 2018. In order that summer time, aged 14, the teenager switched golf equipment from Espanyol to Barcelona as he joined La Masia. He was added to arguably essentially the most particular technology from the azulgranas, the 2004 class.
By March Angel Alarcon was making his Barcelona B debut, occurring to make 4 appearances within the 2020-21 season. At that time, he was shaping as much as be one of many extra promising forwards within the academy. That sentiment remained, at the very least till June of 2021, when Alarcon suffered an ACL damage and proceeded to overlook the subsequent 14 months.
Ángel Alarcón • El Killer • 2020/2021. 💥
A few of Ángel’s greatest moments this season. Alarcón is a dynamic and cell striker who can rating objectives from nearly wherever. Nice ending, acceleration, steadiness. He impresses with off-the-ball motion, intelligence, and positioning. pic.twitter.com/eKeUweJ89V
— Piotr Guziński (@Nyctophile1_) April 28, 2021
Now it’s 2023 and Alarcon remains to be enjoying for Juvenil A (U-19s), the place he has eight objectives and two assists. So why is he seemingly nearer to the primary staff than ever? Whereas enjoying for the U-19s and within the UEFA Youth League, the now 18-year-old Alarcon is slowly however certainly regaining a few of what he might have misplaced in that lengthy layoff.
The Spanish teenager is believed by the membership to have the best potential, solely after Gavi himself. Ramon Planes had chosen {the teenager} to be on the preseason checklist throughout Ronald Koeman’s time, however that knee damage stored him out of motion for greater than a yr.
Alarcon was as an alternative one in all a choose group of U-19s to spend just a few coaching classes with Xavi throughout the World Cup break. Happily for Alarcon, Xavi appears to have taken discover, and apparently a transfer again to the centre was instructed by the primary staff supervisor himself.
Learn extra:
Angel Alarcon stats
Again in December of 2019, 15-year-old Angel Alarcon had 14 objectives for Cadet A (U-16s), enjoying as a centre-forward and often being on the receiving finish of glowing assists from Ilias Akhomach and a child nicknamed ‘Gavi’.
By December of 2020, as youth soccer was simply selecting up once more after being shut down by the pandemic, the now 18-year-old had already scored seven objectives and added 4 assists in simply 15 matches for Juvenil A, shifting over to a spot on the left wing.
Alarcon can be artistic. His off-the-ball motion and intelligence allow him to run behind defenders on the good second, which, mixed along with his acceleration, is a deadly weapon not solely on counter-attacks.
Most not too long ago, Xavi included Alarcon within the matchday squad of a Copa del Rey image, the place {the teenager} got here off the bench and performed a 10-minute cameo. He’s but to make an look for Barcelona in La Liga, though, after his contract extension, it’s only a matter of time earlier than his debut. Angel Alarcon has additionally scored 3 objectives and provided 3 assists within the UEFA Youth League.
Angel Alarcon’s potential and magnificence of play
Angel Alarcon joined Barcelona in 2018 from Espanyol’s academy the place he excelled on the prestigious MIC match and within the league. The Spaniard strengthened the cadete B staff, by which he instantly grew to become the highest scorer and scored 22 objectives in 26 league matches in his first season on the membership. Within the following season within the cadete A , he didn’t decelerate and scored fifteen objectives in eighteen appearances. Moreover, he additionally scored 4 objectives within the Kevin de Bruyne match that noticed Barça win the title.
Time for Messi to surpass Ronaldo’s tally? 🐐#Ronaldo #Messi #Neymar pic.twitter.com/VuOmtXM9PH
— FootTheBall FC (@FootTheBallFC) January 29, 2023
His physicality at such a younger age can be spectacular. Angel makes good use of those circumstances and might play along with his again to the aim. He additionally makes nice use of his physique and will get fouled very often. Angel Alarcon combines the facility and explosiveness of a winger, with the positioning and intuition of a centre-forward. This enables him to be able to enjoying wherever within the frontline. Whereas with Espanyol he was extra of a striker, at La Masia, in addition to along with his nationwide staff, he has been deployed primarily as a winger.
Angel is a participant who can play wherever within the entrance line. Within the decrease sections, he largely performed on the left wing, the place he moved inside, might dribble from the touchline and entered the penalty space very often. He’s a specialist in leaving defenders behind due to his wonderful acceleration.
Angel Alarcon Barcelona switch information
Alarcon’s present deal was set to run out on the finish of the 2022/23 season and Barcelona made it a precedence to strike a brand new cope with the 18-year-old ahead who’s shortly rising within the membership’s ranks after shining for Barcelona within the UEFA Youth League group stage this season.
He began the season largely as a left winger however was transformed to a striker per the request of first-team boss Xavi Hernández who’s a giant fan of the teenager and sees an actual future for Alarcon in the primary squad.
Alarcon will nonetheless be registered as an academy participant as soon as his new deal kicks in, however he’ll basically be a first-team participant subsequent season if he continues to develop and impress in coaching. However whether or not he will get into the first-team squad at any level this season or not, clearly Xavi sees one thing in that crop of kids that skilled with him throughout the break.
In La Masia, Angel has already performed 66 official matches, scoring 56 objectives. These numbers will be spectacular, and along with objectives, Alarcon has a whole lot of assists. The ahead additionally performed for Spain’s U-15 and U-16 groups, the place he scored 8 objectives in 14 video games. Prime numbers, prime expertise.
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