Barcelona v Villarreal: Lionel Messi to replace Luis Suarez as a false 9?

Andy West 21:17 01/12/2018
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    Barcelona will look to return to winning ways in La Liga after collecting just one point from their last two games, but an improving Villarreal will be confident of upsetting the odds at the Camp Nou on Sunday night.

    Victory would be enough to send the reigning champions back to the top of the table if Sevilla fail to win at Alaves later in the evening, and Villarreal have been beaten on each of their last eight trips to the Camp Nou.

    But injury problems and the emergence of a potential new superstar ensure that Barca can take nothing for granted ahead of what should be an entertaining encounter.

    HOW WILL VALVERDE REPLACE SUAREZ? 

    Luis Suarez

    Luis Suarez

    Having lost against Real Betis and drawn with Atletico Madrid in their last two league outings, Barca will be eager to avoid extending their winless streak to three games and the inevitable mini-crisis that would entail, so this is an important game for Ernesto Valverde’s men.

    The hosts will have to do without several injured players, including striker Luis Suarez and central defender Samuel Umtiti, who has travelled for a programme of rehabilitation in the hope of avoiding surgery on a knee problem which has bothered him throughout the season.

    Clement Lenglet will continue to partner Gerard Pique in the centre of defence, but compensating for the absence of Suarez in attack does not have such an obvious solution.

    Valverde opted to field Lionel Messi as a false nine in the midweek Champions League win at PSV Eindhoven, but Munir El Haddadi will be hoping for a chance to impress after making a bright contribution from the bench in the previous home game against Betis.

    Winger Malcom is another fringe player pushing for a start, but aside from Messi perhaps the greatest weight of expectation will be placed upon the shoulders of a player who hasn’t always lived up to expectations…

    IS DEMBELE STARTING TO FLOURISH? 

    Lionel Messi (C) celebrates with Ousmane Dembele (R) and Nelson Semedo (L)

    Lionel Messi (C) celebrates with Ousmane Dembele (R) and Nelson Semedo (L)

    After suffering a few tough weeks, Ousmane Dembele has done enough in the last couple of games to suggest that he is ready to reignite his season and guarantee his immediate future at the Camp Nou.

    The flamboyant French forward had fallen down the pecking order after a series of disciplinary problems, leading to reports that manager Ernesto Valverde was preparing to unload the former Borussia Dortmund man perhaps as soon as January.

    But Dembele has been decisive in the last seven days, firstly coming off the bench to net a crucial late equaliser in the table-topping clash at Atletico and then providing some bright moments in the midweek Champions League win at PSV.

    Perhaps most importantly, Dembele has shown signs of a developing understanding with Messi, who assisted Dembele’s leveller at Atletico and then received a pass from the Frenchman for his spectacular opener in the Netherlands.

    Dembele has struggled for consistency throughout his time at Barca and, considering his style of play, will probably always continue to frustrate by regularly conceding possession cheaply.

    But his talent cannot be doubted and he just needs to prove to Valverde that he will deliver quality moments with sufficient frequency to make his downsides worth tolerating. Another influential showing this weekend could further strengthen his case for more regular inclusion.

    CAN RISING STAR CHUKWUEZE SPARK VILLARREAL REVIVAL? 

    This has been a disappointing season so far for Villarreal, with manager Javi Calleja perhaps fortunate to hang onto his job after overseeing a start to the campaign featuring just two wins in the opening 12 league games.

    But the Yellow Submarine have shown signs of improvement, finally gaining their first home triumph of the campaign with last weekend’s 2-1 victory over dangerous Real Betis – and that game featured a fine goal from one of the main factors behind the team’s recent upturn: Samuel Chukwueze.

    The 19-year-old Nigerian winger started the season in the club’s B team but has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the last few weeks. He started off by netting his first senior goal in a cup tie at Almeria, before also scoring in just his second league outing during a 2-2 draw against Rayo Vallecano.

    That led to a full international debut for Nigeria in last month’s draw with Uganda, followed by another outstanding goal to help down Betis last week.

    Chukwueze is an inverted winger who operates from the right flank but cuts inside onto his preferred left foot, and his tussle with Barca full-back Jordi Alba will be a fascinating aspect of Sunday night’s meeting at the Camp Nou.

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