Cristian Tello has just announced his retirement from playing football at the age of 35, after a career that saw him rise through Barcelona's youth teams and then return to the Catalans' first team for three seasons, from 2011 to 2014. He then played for Porto and Fiorentina, before becoming one of Betis' key players.
No one knows better than he what it means for a young player to struggle to find space in the coach's plans, when the team has players of an extremely high level, some of whom have the status of legends. Tello's personal experience leads him to think that even a phenomenon of today's world football like Lamine Yamal would have a hard time playing as a starter in that Barcelona.
"I don't think he would be a starter, and it would even be difficult for him to get there," Tello replied to "Sport" when the Barcelona of 2012 was mentioned. "To get into the first team, yes. I think he would succeed, seeing the level he has and what he is showing, but then it would be complicated. We are talking about Alexis Sanchez, Pedro, David Villa, Leo Messi, Neymar... For any young academy player, it is extremely difficult to find space in the first team against such players."
In fact, Tello is wrong to mention all five of these strikers together, as they have never been part of the Barcelona team at the same time. The summer of 2013 marked the transition from Villa's departure to Atletico Madrid to Neymar's arrival from Santos. However, even if we consider the starting lineups of those years, without Villa and Neymar at the same time, Tello's opinion, which at first glance may seem incredible when we still have the wonders of Yamal fresh in our minds, does not deserve to be dismissed outright, but it is worth discussing.
Who was playing in the starting lineup in Barcelona's attack then? Where would Yamal fit in?
In the 2011/12 season, Guardiola's last year in charge, Barcelona's starting trio consisted of Pedro, Messi and Villa. After the latter's serious injury, Sanchez took his place. In the following season, 2012/13, under the late Tito Vilanova, in Barcelona's attack, which played with a 4-3-3 scheme, the first choices were Pedro, Messi and Sanchez. The Chilean alternated with Villa or Tello. In the 2013/14 season, with Tata Martino on the bench, the starting trio consisted of Messi, Neymar and one of Sanchez and Pedro. As mentioned, Villa had left Barcelona in the summer.
Tello does not mention it, but we must also bear in mind that in the three seasons under consideration, Cesc Fabregas, who as is known began his career as a midfielder, was activated several times as a starter in the attacking trio, both on the left wing and, above all, in the role of "false nine", that is, as a false striker. Consequently, he should also be included in the discussion about the place that Yamali should take from one of these champions.
Considering all this, we can say that in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons Yamal would have most likely managed to secure a starting place at Barcelona. While in the 2013/14 season, with two untouchable places for Messi and Neymar at the peak of their form, he would have had to fight for space, especially due to the tactical compatibility with these two players. It is worth remembering how fantastic the “Niño Maravilla”, that is, Alexis Sanchez, was at his peak, while Pedro was not an ordinary player at all, without forgetting the alternative Fabregas.
On the other hand, we are talking about a Yamal who is still only 19 years old and who has many opportunities ahead to win the Ballon d'Or, perhaps his first in a few days. In about ten years, the same question may receive a self-evident answer, like: "Lamine would be a starter in any team in the history of football"...
