Two games played without Messi; two loses for Barcelona this past week (1-2 vs Ajax and 0-1 vs Atletico Bilbao). I am starting to see a pattern there. The same pattern I saw last season when Barcelona struggled to pass past PSG in the Champions League, to finally end up demolished by Bayern Munich (0-7 overall). It seems that Barcelona forgets how to play when the Argentine star is not on the field!
A year ago, I felt like this Barcelona team was unbeatable, even without Messi; even with the "B" team on the field. The style of play was always the same, no matter who was on the field and opponents never really found a way to stop them (for the exception of a few games when the other teams were playing with 11 defenders in their last 25 yards and games against great teams like Real madrid or Bayern Munich). Barcelona dominated La Liga from start to finish with an incredible Messi.
This season, however, Barcelona, despite being on top of La Liga, does not show this great football that we expect to see. Is this because of the arrival of the new manager, Tata Martino, whose philosophy is not exactly the same as Barcelona's? Or is it because the other teams studied hard to stop Barca? In my opinion, it is much more simple than that.
When Messi is on the field, all Barcelona players seem to be better, like transcended. It feels like they know they can't lose the game as long as the four-time Golden Ball recipient is on their side! And who can blame them? We all know Messi can win a game all by himself! He showed it many times! And in the past season, when the Argentinian was absent or was simply having a bad day, other players stepped up and carried the team. Something we hardly see nowadays.
Indeed, players such as Xavi Hernandez or Iniesta don't have the same impact on the game they had in previous years. The Spanish magic duo is not as brilliant as it was last season. Statistics prove it: in 15 games played in La Liga, Iniesta only scored one goal and provided only one assist. Far from his standards. As for Xavi, the midfielder played 12 games, scoring twice and giving one assist. If his scoring abilities are still there, Xavi's passing skills seem to wear off. Maybe his old age (33), does not give him the energy to get close to the box to deliver clever passes like he used to. Even a few months ago, after Barcelona's downfall against Bayern Munich in the Champions League (0-7), people were wondering if the duo was not coming to an end.
But don't get me wrong, Barcelona is still one of the best teams in the world! Mostly because other players are in great form. For example, Cesc Fabregas seemed to have taken Iniesta's role as finisher and last passer for Barcelona. The former Arsenal player found the net five times in La Liga this season. He is also the league's assist leader with eight. Alexis Sanchez is also brilliant so far this season, scoring eight goals (as many as Messi). Those players are probably the reason why barcelona is still at the top of the league.
One player however is still struggling to have an impact on the game. Brazilian star Neymar only scored four goals in 13 games. As a comparison, Real Madrid's most expensive player, Gareth Bale, already scored seven goals, playing only nine games. However, Neymar did great to help his teammates score, providing eight assists. However, Bale also provided many assists, six, in fewer games. This comparison between the two new faces of La Liga shows that one of them plays a major role when the "real" star is injured (Bale).
So, fire away if you think I am wrong, but I think Barcelona should pray to see Messi come back quickly on the pitch, because the way I see it, they won't stand a chance without him this season...
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