Barcelona's reliance on Lionel Messi and unbalanced approach leaves them vulnerable

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  • Following their midweek defeat to Leganes, serious questions are being asked about Barcelona and rightly so.

    Some suggest its a mere blip but in reality, symptoms of a possible breakdown have been prevalent all season.

    Here are a few issues they need to resolve quickly.

    STYLE OF PLAY

    For years, Barcelona have been synonymous with possession but that is not their intention. Even though they boast the best possession stats in La Liga this term as well, the priority has always been control. However, that’s precisely what they’ve ceded so often this season.

    While they enjoy lengthy spells of possession, they have a tendency to commit too many men forward, leaving their defence exposed. With the likes of Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho often operating in the same XI, they’re virtually playing with four forwards while their full-backs are pushed high up the pitch as well.

    In other words, they set themselves up perfectly to be hit on the counter-attack. So even when they have the ball at times, they’re only exposing themselves more on and more. This is a direct contradiction to Ernesto Valverde’s first season in charge when he compensated for Neymar’s departure by making Barcelona a more compact and balanced unit.

    It could be that the manager’s been influenced by critics who’ve labelled his tactics ‘negative’. However, he’s going about trying to rectify that the wrong way. That foursome in attack is overkill and often run into each other with every one of them eager to operate through the middle. It’s hardly a recipe for fluid, expansive football.

    Ernesto Valverde

    RELIANCE ON MESSI

    Despite the issues relating to their style of place, Barcelona have registered 18 shots per La Liga game this season, more than any other team in the division. However, that stems from sheer numbers in attack and most crucially… one Lionel Messi.

    In the past, critics suggested Messi was only as good as the players around him, citing his failures with Argentina as evidence. But you’d have to be blind or ignorant to overlook the fact that he’s been dictating play for the Catalans for the last few seasons.

    The Argentine has scored five goals in the league this season, registering 4.3 shots per game – second on both counts. However, he’s unparalleled in terms of chance creation, completing 4.5 dribbles per game and 4 key passes per game.

    Lionel Messi.

    Lionel Messi.

    SWITCHING OFF

    There is an air of complacency about the La Liga champions. They tend to switch off and have already been behind in five competitive games this season out of eight.

    Barcelona have trailed each of Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Huesca, Girona and Leganes at some point this term which is rather concerning.

    While they’ve usually been able to recover, perhaps the defeat to Leganes will serve as a timely wake-up call.

    Barcelona lost 2-1 to Leganes.

    Barcelona lost 2-1 to Leganes.

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