Six Barcelona players that must step up next season

Christian Tello

Many have compared Tello to Bojan Krkic because of the success they both had in the ‘B’ side and the quick starts to their ‘A’ careers.

Bojan eventually flopped and has been a loan exile since his time in the first team. Tello was trusted by Pep in his first year up in the main squad and he scored goals with stunning speed and strength. He plays like a young David Villa, with the ability to shoot from distance being his preference. His big advantage over Neymar and Sanchez is the fact that he came through the system.

After his first year in the ‘A’ side, many wanted to see him improve his ability to provide service to his team-mates in certain spots. He made a concerted effort last season to do so and had mixed success. The coaching staff seemed to lose confidence in him because of his erratic play: one week he would look like the future, and the next week he was messing up simple chances. He also lost playing time to Cesc Fabregas as Barca used him on the front-line.

Tello has shown himself to have no fear in scoring goals and taking chances. His speed is impressive and I would even dare say that he could displace Neymar if he does have a bumpy transition.

With Tello, it is all about being consistent. The top class players have an impact in nearly every game they play. Certainly we cannot hold him to Messi’s standards, but he has to be a factor more often.