In-form Barcelona striker may have Pep Guardiola to thank

FC Barcelona have had a promising pre-season tour of the United States of America this summer. Led by Hansi Flick, the new German coach leading La Blaugrana has showcased an early taste of what’s to come. However, while pre-season did feel like it was a positive experience, Barcelona still have much to do.

In terms of individual performances, however, the pre-season tour was crucial in helping Barcelona identify their most promising youngsters and subsidiary players. Through the performances they say, it becomes easier for the coaching staff to shortlist the players who can potentially add quality to the first team.

One of the names that will undeniably offer a lot of quality and promise to the first team will be Pau Victor. The 22-year-old Barcelona Atletic striker, formerly from Girona, has been thoroughly impressive during the preseason games with his three goals and one assist.

However, things were not always looking so smooth for the Spanish striker. As highlighted by Mundo Deportivo, the player previously was at a frustrating point of his career while playing for Girona’s Juvenil A side and even sought out the help and knowledge of former Barcelona icon Pep Guardiola to help him:

“Hi, I’m Pau Víctor, a player for Girona’s Juvenil A team. This year I haven’t been getting much playing time, and even though I’m training well, I’m not playing as much as I’d like. I’m asking for your advice because, with your experience in football, I’d like to know how I could improve.”

In response, Guardiola was clear about the fact that his own coach possibly knows him best but did give the player a bit of life advice:

“I can’t give you advice on how to improve because I haven’t seen you play, and surely your coach knows you better. This is life; it’s about how you face it. This is where you prove whether you’re up to the challenge or not. There are two options: you can either complain or prove yourself. It’s up to Pau.”

Ironically, Victor did manage to end up showing to Pep Guardiola that he was indeed the real deal. During the clash against Manchester City, the newly acquired Barcelona signing did not just score a fantastic goal, but had a great overall performance as well.