5 interesting takeaways from Barcelona's pre-season

#3 Yusuf Demir: the next Lionel Messi?

Yusuf Demir (centre) of Barcelona in action against Girona

In Yusuf Demir, Barcelona may have already found the perfect player to replace Lionel Messi in the future. The youngster's style of play is strikingly similar with that of the Argentine maestro, and to cap it all, they are both left-footed players who prefer to cut in from the right flank.

Barcelona signed the fast-rising winger from Austrian club Rapid Vienna on loan with a purchase option this summer. Yusuf Demir started the first three preseason games, and got the opportunity to put his name on the scoresheet during the 3-0 triumph over Stuttgart.

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#2 Barcelona youngsters ready to step up

Barcelona's youngsters are ready to take the next step.

Ronald Koeman gave opportunities to several youngsters last season, with the likes of Ansu Fati, Pedri, Ronald Araujo, Oscar Mingueza and Ilaix Moriba all impressing with the senior team. The tactician maintains his faith in developing young talents, and the pre-season provided another proof of that.

Apart from Manaj and Demir, the other Barcelona youngsters also enjoyed their time under the sun. Gavi and Nico Gonzalez ran riot in the centre, and proved that they're more than capable of helping the team. Alex Balde was a huge revelation at left-back, while Alex Collado also put in a string of spectacular displays in attack.

Riqui Puig continues to prove to Koeman that he's a huge asset for the club. The midfielder was brilliant as usual; with his vision, link-up play and marauding runs. He scored two brilliant goals, and had a couple of eye-catching moments in the pre-season.

90+2' | Puig scores a third.#BarçaJuve [3-0] #ForzaJuve

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) August 8, 2021

Considering what Koeman is doing with these lads, Barcelona could be on the verge of assembling another group of youngsters to take the football world by storm in the coming years.

#1 Post-Messi era kicks off on a promising note

The Blaugrana beat Juventus to win the Joan Gamper trophy.

Many expected Barcelona to suffer on the pitch following the departure of Lionel Messi, and rightly so, considering the massive contributions the Argentine has made to the team during his time in Catalonia. However, it was certainly not as bad as it was predicted.

The first game the Catalan giants played since Messi's departure was confirmed was the Joan Gamper trophy clash with Juventus. In the encounter, the team stepped up and sent a huge message across.

The new Barça captain Busquets lifts the Joan Gamper trophy to kick off the new era.

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 8, 2021

Led by new captain Sergio Busquets, Barcelona put up an incredible display, beating the Italian giants by three unanswered goals. Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite and Riqui Puig found the back of the net during the encounter.

It was a great sight as the Blaugrana were able to kickstart the post-Lionel Messi era with a win, albeit in a friendly.