How Pablo Torre plays and why he could be the revelation of pre-season

How Pablo Torre plays and why he could be the revelation of pre-season

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The young playmaker is a starlet at Racing Santander and is ready for his step up to Barça

Pablo Torre is just 19 years old, but he has been the talk of Racing's youth teams for a long time. His is the story of precocious talent. Son of Esteban Torre, a former player at the club, he is one of those footballers who catches your attention. "He's a player you fall in love with. You enjoy him because he plays very well and he does it beautifully. He plays in a very rational way. He's a simple boy and he takes that to the game", explained his former coach Guillermo Fernandez Romo on the program 'Què t'hi jugues'.

Barcelona sealed his signing during the season and he arrives in the summer like Pedri did, with the aura of a special player and without a role, yet to be defined.

Last month in March it was clear that Xavi knew Torre very well and will call him up for pre-season.

“We’ve been following Pablo,” said Xavi. “He’s a natural talent, he can play at interior, out wide, with both feet. He plays very well inside, can give the final ball, he’s a goalscorer, at set pieces he does well. He’s very young and with the capacity to play for Barca for many years. It depends on him and his mentality.”

Explanations like that convinced Torre to come to Barcelona. After all, he knew Xavi had seen him and few coaches could understand him better. He’s a teenager who suffers without the ball and under the pressure of a lot of expectations. “He’s a Barca profile player. I explained him the model, the circumstances. Were were interested and he decided. He will be in the first team dynamic, but he will have the role of Abde and Jutgla. When he does not play he will be in the B team.”

Barcelona paid 5m for him plus 15m in variables. “He’s a player of the type that comes up every 10 or 15 years,” said Gonzalo Colsa, coordinator of the Racing youth teams. Sergio Canales has been the comparison made there.

Both came from the youth team, both are attacking midfielders and both awoke interest from big sides. Torre’s big leap has been in the second half of the season. His influence has been key to get Racing up to the second division.

Torre finished the season with 10 goals and nine assists in 30 games, a key figure that helped the dominate the league with 74 points in 34 games, 11 more than second place Deportivo.

DIFFICULTIES

Pablo Torre is a player still under construction, which is obvious as he’s only 19 years old. Racing have given him the best possible context for his football. Something he won’t find at Barcelona.

Torre played as the attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 and took all the set pieces. So he had a big role in the decisive phases of the game.

As a playmaker he had less defensive responsibility than he would have in a 4-3-3 at Barcelona. However even at Racing he struggled to finish a lot of games and was subbed off many times.

Torre is a player who still has to adapt to the rhythm of the elite and has to grow physically. Guillermo added: “Pablo has personality, maturity and people around him who know the profession.”

At Barcelona they are waiting for him with big expectations. After Pedri and Gavi, the club are dreaming of adding another generational midfielder.

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