Valverde talks De Jong, Griezmann and Barca youngsters

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The boss spoke after a 2-0 win over Vissel Kobe

Ernesto Valverde offered his thoughts on Barcelona’s 2-0 friendly win over Vissel Kobe on Saturday, as his side signed off their Japanese tour with victory.

Twp goals from Carles Perez gave the Spanish champions all three points, and Valverde was happy with how his young players have stepped up in pre-season.

The Barcelona boss also talked about new signings Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong and what he thinks they can bring to the team ahead of the new season.

Valverde on Carles Perez

Carles Perez scored two goals today, so it’s a good news for his potential and shows how we can bring the young guys forward. Giving these youngsters a chance is good. They’re positioning themselves as alternatives. We’re happy with them. We’ll see who can be counted on when LaLiga and the real games come along. It’s good that the academy players have stepped up.

Valverde on Griezmann

It’s true that some players who are good fit in together easier. We will see the relationship socially and at the camp. We are excited for this opportunity. We believe in balance in the team, in front or in the back, he moves quick, he passes well, and finds space and this is what we were missing.

Valverde on De Jong

Today he played in a different position [than against Chelsea]. He played more as an interior with Sergi Roberto as the holding midfielder. We can now try him in both positions. He’s good on the ball and arrives into good positions further forward. We are lucky than he can play in both positions and we can rotate him. He offers us a lot of solutions.

Source: barcablaugranes.com