Barcelona 23-year-old forward now ahead of Joao Felix in the pecking order for Xavi – report

Barcelona escaped with all three points against Las Palmas in what was a narrow expedition. Had it not been for Ferran Torres and Ilkay Gundogan’s second-half goals, Barcelona would run the risk of going further behind Girona and Real Madrid in the league standings.

Despite a closely contested affair, certain individuals left their mark and proved their worth to Xavi.

Among them was the scorer of Barcelona’s equalizer, Ferran Torres, who repaid Xavi’s faith in him with a well-placed goal in the 55th minute.

While Joao Felix has usually been Xavi’s go-to man on the left wing, his performance just before the Christmas break against Almeria saw him face a demotion in the pecking order.

Replaced by Ferran Torres at halftime, he was immediately outshined by the Spanish forward. Ferran’s promising performance off the bench earned him a place in the starting XI most recently. And the goal against Las Palmas only strengthened his case.

Ferran ahead of Felix in the pecking order

Indeed, according to SPORT Ferran Torres is now ahead of Felix in Xavi’s preferences.

After the goal at the Gran Canaria stadium, the 23-year-old Spanish international became the team’s second-best scorer with seven goals, just two behind Robert Lewandowski.

Xavi’s faith in the Spaniard was also exemplified when he brought off Lewandowski to bring on Joao Felix instead of substituting Ferran as he normally does.

In fact, Ferran has equaled his season-high seven goals from last season. Joao Felix, on the other hand, is still mired in irregularity. The Portuguese went two and a half months without scoring after a great start to his Barça career.

He was crucial in the matches against FC Porto and Atletico Madrid and scored at Mestalla, but he has also been unable to make a significant impact in some of the most recent games, not performing up to Xavi’s standards.

As such, moving forward, it is anticipated that Ferran will receive more opportunities in the XI, as he has cemented his place ahead of Felix for now.