Marc Casado talks Xavi, Flick, Marc Bernal, Busquets praise, El Clasico win | OneFootball

Marc Casado has been one of Barcelona’s breakout stars this season and is easily one of the most important players for the team already.

Playing as a defensive midfielder and covering a void the club has been suffering with for years, the youngster has done phenomenally well not only defensively but also with his offensive contributions.

Casado’s sensational quality for Barcelona has earned him a call-up to the Spanish national team for the first time and his senior international debut is just around the corner.

Speaking to the media on duty with La Roja, the youngster gave a detailed account of his rise, current success and ambitions going forward.

Casado talks about his beginnings

Unlike several players have in recent years at Barcelona, Marc Casado has had to go the longer route and wait for a later debut than his peers. Speaking on the same, he said,

“It seems that already with 17 or 18 years old you have to be debuting, but my process has been slower. It has also helped me to be more prepared when debuting.”

He then revealed that he had no regrets and would change a thing about his evolution.

“I’ve always wanted to be at Barça. The club has decided that the stages for me were better this way and the evolution has gone well for now to be able to give a good level.”

On the drastic turnaround in his situation

The youngster was not at the receiving end of many minutes last season despite Xavi calling him up to the first team and he was asked if he ever considered a departure in those circumstances.

“For my will, no. It is true that there were times when I said: ‘If I’m not playing here, we have to look for another option’, but I have always wanted to play at Barça.”

Now, just a few months later, he is a regular and everyone is claiming a share of the credit for his success from Hansi Flick to Deco and Xavi.

“In the process, there are many people who help you add little things to now be ready and I have tried to get the positive things out of everyone.”

Thriving. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

“I think the people around me have also helped me a lot to be able to achieve what is being achieved,” he added on the subject.

Casado speaks on the struggles of last season

Elaborating on how it was hard to see his peers play for the first team but himself not receive prominence, the midfield star spoke on how his close circle kept him strong.

“Here the people around me have helped me a lot because I am a very ambitious person You get nervous when you see that you are not having the opportunity.”

“My people help me a lot to try to calm down, to look for professionals to work on this and I think I have done very well,” he added.

He also revealed how working with a sports psychologist helped him in his ordeal.

“Working with professional people on, it helped me to be calmer because sometimes not everything depends on you. You can be giving your best and the coach doesn’t trust you, he doesn’t put you.”

He then spoke about how he did not allow it to affect him and made the most of his minutes in the subsidiary team.

“Then I went down with the subsidiary and Márquez’s confidence was tremendous. The important thing was to transfer the level he was showing in the subsidiary, to the first team.”

Casado relives his rise under Flick

The Spanish international then commented on what convinced him to renew with the club and how Flick was key to his staying.

“I renewed because they told me that Flick wanted me in the squad, he wanted to see me, but it is true that the previous idea was also to renew because I have always wanted to be linked to Barça.”

“The idea was to go on loan, but they talked to Flick and said he wanted to see me in preseason and that in theory, he was counting on me,” he added.

Casado has become a permanent starter. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Getty Images)

The player also gave his two cents on the relationship he shared with his managers and how he loved analysing games deeply.

“Yes, with the coaches I really like to talk about tactics, everything, because I have always said that the most important thing is that the team is comfortable on the field.”

Casado admits Marc Benal’s injury opened the gates for him

Despite being in Flick’s plans, Casado was not a regular at the start of the season with the younger Marc Bernal taking the starting spot. A horrific knee injury, however, saw his season end and gave Casado prominence.

“Marc’s injury was hard for everyone. He is recovering now and I want to send him all the encouragement for him. It’s not easy to have an injury like that, but we’re sure he’ll come back stronger,” he began.

“That game against Valladolid was right after the injury and I knew that I had an opportunity there and I had to take advantage of it. I tried to give my maximum level and luckily a good game came out,” he added.

He was then asked if he ever wondered what would have happened had Bernal not suffered the injury, to which he said,

“There are always things that change everything. Both for good and for bad. You have to know how to take advantage of opportunities that are sometimes not the most pleasant, such as Marc’s injury, which left us all very touched.”

On the big games this season

Speaking on the game against Bayern Munich and how it was to go up against Joshua Kimmich and even outshine him on the field, Casado said,

“The truth is that I was calmer in that game because I didn’t think so much about my performance, but about the team having to win. It was an important victory to stay up in the Champions League standings.”

“Also because of the rival, the history against Bayern, things were not going very well for Barça and both I and the whole team wanted to change that dynamic,” he added.

He then reflected on the special El Clasico win and how it came about for the team.

“We are calm with what we do, we know that we have to keep improving to be able to win games and titles. That was a great demonstration that against big teams we could also give the level and I think everyone saw it there.”

Casado also called it the best win of his career so far.

“It can be, yes. Going to the Bernabéu and winning 0-4 for a Barça youth player is always special.”

Towards the end of his interview, the youngster revealed that he had heard Sergio Busquets’ praise for him and what it meant.

“I could hear them, yes, and they made me very happy. That a player like Busi, of world-class, talks about you like that, is incredible.”

Source: Mundo Deportivo