An overview of Joan García: his past years, his strengths, areas for improvement

  /  William008

José Aurelio Gay, manager of the reserve team in 2019-20, analyzes Barcelona's new goalkeeper.

On June 18, Barcelona announced the signing of Joan García , after paying his buyout clause. So far, he's been the only summer signing for the Catalans. The youth academy player left the club where he trained to wear the Blanquigrana. MARCA analyzes his career through José Aurelio Gay, who coached him in the Blanquigrana reserve team. When the Madrid native arrived at Espanyol B , the Sallent-born goalkeeper was promoted from the youth system. At that time, his reputation within the club was unanimous: he would be a top goalkeeper. 

"Two special goalkeepers came on: Fortuño and Joan. They were very different. Joan was the prototype of the modern goalkeeper, over 1.90, tall, agile, fast... He was introverted, but very intelligent and what stood out, above all, was his great passion for goalkeeping. He worked hard on the pitch and then watching videos," recalls José Aurelio Gay . In fact, the Madrid native alternated between the two goalkeepers for a while, but the first team quickly took notice of the Sallent-born player , who began working with the  big boys . And he suffered an injury that forced him to be out for some time. 

The coach isn't surprised that Barcelona paid Joan García 's release clause . In fact, he doesn't understand why some teams didn't take the step last summer. "People at the club, and I could see it, always said he'd be a top goalkeeper in the future, and this year he's had the opportunity to prove it. He's played over 30 games and has made a lot of saves, even though he's been shot at a lot. He's exceptional," he explains.

In fact, José Aurelio Gay admits that paying 25 million for the Catalan goalkeeper is a bargain and explains that signing for Barcelona already demonstrates Joan García 's great quality . "He's very young, but he's a goalkeeper for the present. He'll significantly increase those 25 million," he asserts. Even when the coach left Espanyol in 2021, he already spoke of the youth player's quality with two major teams, but there were no market movements at that time. 

Strengths and areas for improvement

José Aurelio Gay highlights two aspects of Joan García : his aerial ability and speed. "He's bold when it comes to taking crosses from the wing, corners... he doesn't mind a lot of traffic in the box. And he's very fast. Despite his height, he can make two or three saves in the same play. In fact, it's something he's worked on a lot, and sometimes you'd have to tell him that training was over," he recalls.

But on the other hand, he believes he'll need to improve in two other areas that are Barcelona 's hallmarks . "He'll have to play with his feet; a lot of balls will come his way, and Barça has a very advanced defense. That's why he'll have to learn to make the right decisions with balls behind him, so he doesn't come out late or end up half-hearted," explains the coach. In any case, he assures that Joan García is a very receptive goalkeeper who listens closely to the coach. 


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