More minutes for Malcom and other talking points as Barcelona travel to Villarreal

Sooraj Kamath - Writer 00:07 02/04/2019
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  • It’s that time of the season when the fixture-congestion kicks in and bagging three points in the simplest of fixtures could prove to be a huge ask.

    Luckily for La Liga champions Barcelona, they find themselves in a very good position in the table as they enter the penultimate month of the season.

    With nine games left, the Catalans are on top and enjoy a 10-point lead over Atletico Madrid.

    Their next challenge in the league takes the form of Villarreal – a team that finds itself hovering above the relegation zone, having accumulated just one point more than 18th-placed Celta Vigo. We take a look at the talking points ahead of this mid-week clash.

    More minutes for Malcom

    Malcom's time to shine

    Malcom’s time to shine

    Malcom has been a victim of questionable rotation policies governed by head coach Ernesto Valverde.

    Phiippe Coutinho – despite his poor form for majority of the season – is still preferred over his countryman.

    With Ousmane Dembele still nursing an injury, one of the Brazilians is bound to start. Malcom has to be the ideal choice, given his promising cameo in Barcelona’s win over Espanyol where he bagged an assist.

    Although the former Bordeaux winger has been provided limited playing time, he has done well to make a case for why he deserved more minutes.

    Whether it was a brilliant goal at Inter Milan in the Champions League at a time the team were struggling to get past Samir Handanovic or a fantastic effort to level the scores in the first leg of El Clasico in the Copa del Rey two months ago, Malcom has shown that he is capable of being a direct threat to the opposition.

    This is exactly what Barcelona need right now – someone who can provide a moment of individual brilliance and reduce the burden on Lionel Messi. The Argentina forward is stretching his injured groin muscles and luck to the limits, playing with pain from the last four months and is in desperate need of some rest.

    Clearly, Malcom is a must on the team-sheet for Barcelona on Tuesday.

    Shuffling at the back

    Clement Lenglet.

    Clement Lenglet.

    Samuel Umtiti plays for Barcelona? The fact that Clement Lenglet has performed so well that Umtiti’s absence was barely noticeable is a huge testament to his successful debut season at the Catalan club.

    Not taking anything away from Umtiti who is a world-class defender himself, his countryman seems to be in better form heading into the business end of the season. At this point, Lenglet is clearly the better option for a crunch fixture.

    Barcelona are two games and one week away from their biggest game of the season (yet). The Spanish giants travel to Manchester to take on United in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

    Rotations in defence will be extremely crucial, should Barcelona overcome all the challenges in their path. They could start by resting Lenglet for the next two games and have him fresh for the United fixture.

    The Frenchman had dropped a masterclass for Sevilla when his former team eliminated United from the competition last season.

    It’s fair to say that among the players on Barcelona’s roster, the centre-back is the one who is fresh from experiencing a crucial tie at Old Trafford. This is bound to provide the youngster an edge when he takes the brunt of United’s attack a week from now.

    Point-hungry Villarreal could spell danger

    They halted Madrid.Can they halt Barcelona?

    They halted Madrid.Can they halt Barcelona?

    At this point of the season, the teams in danger of relegation are more dangerous than the ones at the top of the table.

    While the latter fight for a European spot, the former fight for survival in the top flight.

    After a horrible start to their campaign, Villarreal have – to an extent – steadied their ship after Javier Calleja took over as manager. They have now won three of their last six games, after going 10 games without a win.

    However, a defeat to lowly Celta Vigo last week completely changes the perspective of the relegation battle. Celta are now just one point behind Villarreal and are presented with a chance to escape the relegation zone on Wednesday.

    Hence, the pressure is back on Villarreal and it’s safe to say that they will do anything to bag all three points on Tuesday, regardless of the opposition.

    Barcelona will face a stern test and Valverde could probably have to think twice about his rotations.

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