Barcelona concerned by performance of B side following slide down table

Barcelona successfully called on some of their youngsters from Barca Atletic last season, which is ultimately the goal for their team, but this season's results are starting to cause concern. During the two seasons under Rafael Marquez, Barca Atletic fought for promotion, but Albert Sanchez, his replacement, has still not achieved the same success.

A 2-1 defeat to second-place Amorebieta saw Atletic drop to 16th place on Sunday, just one place outside the relegation zone. So far this season they have scored just two wins and seventeen goals in their thirteen games. According to MD, there are concerns about performance, and while there is no desire to fire Sánchez, form will have to be addressed sooner or later.

Atletic drew seven in a row before losing, and it is reported that under-19 coach Juliano Belletti now has his UEFA A license, allowing him to take charge of Barca Atletic if necessary. One aspect that should buy him more time is the mitigating factors: injuries to key players, absences to internationals and the use of Marc Casado, Marc Bernal, Pau Victor, Sergi Dominguez and Gerard Martin in the first team.

Barcelona have certainly drawn deep from their reserves of young talent over the past two seasons, and it's no surprise that Barca Atletic has been looking a bit thinner lately. Players like Lamine Yamal, Bernal and Cubarsi would, in theory, have been the mainstays of that team in Barcelona's expectations at the start of last season.