Samuel Umtiti, needs to be the regular starter for FC Barcelona alongside Gerard Pique.
As we know from the player profile, Umtiti is a gifted young defender with the talent to be the starting CB for Barcelona. This past weekend against Leganes, Umtiti showed great strenght and prowess. Especially his goal saving dive in the first half, stopping a sure goal as Ter Stegen was beat already. Now, Umtiti’s competition to start is Javier Mascherano, the wily veteran and International for Argentina.
Mascherano was not always a sure bet to stay at Barcelona this summer, with rumors he could join Dani Alves at Juventus. This could be why Luis Enrique is hesitant to fully thrust Mascherano back into starting contention. Umtiti needs to take advantage and seal his spot as starter.
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Mascherano’s play has not been great either, he was constantly picked on Saturday as the starting right back. Leganes took advantage of his age and sent wingers barreling down against him on every chance they could. Maybe it’s time for Barcelona to move to a younger player at CB and give Umtiti the regular minutes he deserves.
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Umtiti as a player is already experienced and is known for being poised when he was at Lyon in France. Only 23, he already has experience playing Champions League and for his National Team so an everyday starter for one of the biggest clubs in the world should be enough for him to handle. His skills complement the bigger more seasoned play of Pique who would be the other starter. Umtiti looked bright against Leganes but performances in upcoming games against bigger named opponents can make see him set himself apart from the other defenders. As a fast but physical CB, Umtiti could be the missing piece for the big matches of the season against the both Madrid matches.
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