Barcelona’s academy corridors have sent another coach into the wider European conversation. Iván Carrasco, 38, has worked with a generation now visible well beyond Catalonia, and the Spanish coach believes his next move will depend less on labels than on the chance to prove himself at senior level.
The news from the club
Carrasco spent two years coaching in Barcelona’s youth structure, overseeing the 2006 and 2007 age groups. Among the players he worked with were Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsí, Héctor Fort, Marc Bernal, Xavi Espart, Marc Guiu, Guille Fernández and Toni Fernández, alongside other prospects he expects to emerge soon.
His route has already included a first-team occasion abroad: he took charge of Al Ittihad, then the club of Karim Benzema, for one Asian Champions League match. The son and nephew of former footballers, Carrasco now sees himself at a stage where a larger opportunity could arrive.
He described himself first as a coach who loves the game, with a preference for proactive teams that keep the ball, attack and win possession high up the pitch. Yet he also stressed that a manager must adapt to the footballers available rather than impose an inflexible template.
“Football belongs to the players,” he said in explaining his approach. “Their characteristics determine what you can express on the pitch.” His ideal remains a dominant side that attacks more than it defends, although he considers formations such as 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 only an initial reference point. During matches, he believes spaces, responsibilities and intentions reshape the team’s structure.
For Carrasco, playing well is not solely defined by possession. He framed it as creating frequently in the opposition half while allowing little close to one’s own goal, with individual quality deciding whether those situations become goals. Having the ball, he added, usually makes that task easier and can reduce the pressure on a team while transferring it to the opponent.
Memories of Barcelona’s new generation
Yamal stood apart even as a youth player, Carrasco said. The winger’s natural ability was already exceptional: he could beat three opponents and score in matches, while regularly dictating training sessions through his technical superiority.
What impressed the coach most was Yamal’s speed of understanding. He recalled a player who read situations quickly, chose effective solutions and executed them cleanly. The physical development Yamal has gained since then has expanded his game, but Carrasco believes his instinct for football was present from the beginning.
“No coach has taught Lamine how to play football,” Carrasco said. “He was born that way.” He argued that such an unusual talent should be supported rather than overloaded with instruction: coaches should provide favourable conditions and avoid restricting a player’s natural expression.
There were early signs that Yamal could reach the top, Carrasco said, though not necessarily at the extraordinary speed with which he passed through the age groups. Xavi’s decision to bring him into Barcelona’s senior side, combined with the player’s own talent, ensured he remained there.
Cubarsí and Bernal also made a strong impression. Carrasco described Cubarsí as unusually mature mentally, communicative and naturally inclined to lead. Bernal, meanwhile, developed substantially after moving from an interior midfield role into the holding position.
The shift had begun during a tournament with Barcelona’s Cadet B side, where Bernal played as a number six out of necessity. Carrasco and his staff then decided to establish him there the following season. That choice also altered the path of Espart, who had been the team’s number six.
To keep Espart involved, the staff tried him at full-back. The experiment worked, and he remained in that role, despite having previously played as both a number eight and number six in a three-man midfield. Carrasco cited the episode as an example of how circumstances can reveal a different future for a young player.
Working with players of that level reinforced his belief that coaches are facilitators. Young footballers, he said, create new ideas and concepts themselves; the task of the staff is to help them reach their highest level.
A path beyond academy football
Carrasco does not want to be defined only as a youth coach. He pointed to Carles Martínez Novell, who also coached Barcelona’s Cadet side and is now at Bayer Leverkusen, as an example that academy experience need not limit a coach’s trajectory.
In Carrasco’s view, progression depends on sporting directors and club presidents trusting a coach with an opening. He credited Ramón Planes with doing that when he handed him the opportunity to lead Al Ittihad’s first team, and said the next step is to justify such trust and build from there.
He is not setting a fixed timetable, saying he will remain open to the opportunities that arrive. But his long-term ambition is clear: if he can choose a destination, he would like to manage a Premier League club. Until then, the coach intends to adapt to the route that football offers.
