Coach Ernesto Valverde has largely fielded an unchanged side in the last two games, after a few experiments in the first match of the season. A switch back to Barca’s traditional 4-3-3 formation has been welcomed by the fans after a more conservative 4-4-2 employed by the coach last season.
Playing just one game a week means there has not been much rotation, as the first team players have performed exceptionally well.
Seniors like Messi, Busquets, Rakitic, Pique and Alba have shown why they are some of the best in the world. Lone striker Suarez has been patchy in the first two games, but a much improved performance against Huesca last Sunday showed why he is still a starter.
The two big money signings from last season have been outstanding, and look fully adapted to the team philosophy. Coutinho has been given the left midfield position of Andres Iniesta, slightly deeper than the one he’s used to playing, but has shown he can pull the strings and make those passes to the forwards.
There were a few question marks raised over Ousmane Dembele’s future at Barca over the summer, but he has shown he not only belongs here, but is here to stay for a long long time.
Good performances from these players meant fans haven’t got to witness the new signings in action as much they’d have hoped to. There are a few players that excelled in the pre-season, and would be itching to play regularly. But they won’t have to wait much longer as Barca will have two games a week regularly after the international break, and everyone will get a chance to prove themselves.
#1 Malcom
A winger with a lot of speed and flair, many of the Barcelona fans hadn’t heard Malcom’s name before he was surprisingly snapped from Bordeaux right under Roma’s nose. He can play on either wings, and has a devastating left foot as he showed in his first start for Barca against Boca in the Joan Gamper trophy.
After that he has played only 6 minutes in the three league games so far. Valverde has a lot of players at his disposal upfront and has chosen Dembele as his first choice winger, for which the Frenchman has repaid his faith in him completely.
A fully adapted Malcom will give Valverde an added headache in the future, which he will have no complaints about.
Though he will compete with Dembele for a starting spot on the wings, it is possible to accommodate them both due to their ability to play on either side. This means the Barca wings are going to have much more pace than we have witnessed in previous seasons.
#2 Arthur Melo
Arthur Melo has been viewed for quite some time as a long term solution to Barca’s midfield problems by a lot of the club fans. He was the first signing they made this season after coming to an agreement with his previous club Gremio in March.
Arthur’s playing style seems like it is tailor made for a team like Barca. He likes to have the ball at his feet, has a good first touch, and likes to dictate the play. So it’s no surprise that there have been comparisons made with the Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez.
The club has not failed to notice this, and Arthur was promptly given the legendary jersey vacated by Xavi’s partner in crime, Andres Iniesta. Those are no easy shoes to fill, and everyone’s eyes will be on the new number 8.
He had a few great performances in the preseason, and the first two matches before the league began. We got to see glimpses of his abilities in the few minutes he got against Huesca, and fans cannot wait to see him for a full 90 minutes.
#3 Arturo Vidal
When Eric Abidal returned to Barcelona as the director of football, he had some major tasks to achieve. There were a few dead-weight players he had to get rid of. Barca sold last year’s signing Paulinho back to his old club in China, and offloaded players like Lucas Digne, Andre Gomes, Paco Alcacer, Aleix Vidal and Yerry Mina.
Abidal also promised the signing of a big name midfielder, which turned out to be the Chilean Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich.
Vidal is not what people would associate with a perfect Barcelona midfielder. But he might just be what they need when playing physical opponents in the league and latter stages of the Champions League.
He is most likely to come off the bench like he has done in the first three league games, and act as a cover for Rakitic or Busquets. Though he hasn’t had the brightest of starts at his new team, he will need a little more time to fully adapt to the team. He has great speed and stamina, and is definitely an upgrade on Paulinho. Plus, he was a bargain at less than 20 million pounds.
#4 Rafinha
Rafinha Alcântara has been at Barcelona since he was 13 years old. He came through the youth ranks along with his brother Thiago, and made his first team debut in 2011. Technically very good with a brilliant left food, he has the Barca philosophy ingrained in him apart from skills one would associate with Brazilian footballers.
For majority of his career, he was overshadowed by his more talented brother Thiago, till he was sold to Bayern. He played in the first team more often under Luis Enrique, but had to fight a lot of injury issues.
He was a starter in their epic game at Camp Nou against PSG where he was deployed on the right side of a 3-4-3 formation. Valverde didn’t seem to trust him as much and he was loaned to Inter in January.
He returned to the club in the summer and had an excellent preseason. So it was a surprise when there were reports of a deal with Real Betis. That fell through during the final moments, and for the time being he looks to stay at his boyhood club.
The Barcelona faithful love Rafinha and want to see more of the midfielder. It will be difficult for him to get regular first team action with the Barca midfield already jam-packed. There is a possibility of him leaving in January. Till then, he will look to prove himself to the manager, and fans will want to enjoy his football for some time.
#5 Munir
Another Barca youth product, Munir made his first team debut in 2014 when he was just 18 years old. He showed great potential when he was brought into the team by then coach Luis Enrique, and was expected to lead the Barca front line in a few years.
Four years later, after spending a couple of loan spells at Valencia and Deportivo Alaves, Munir has returned to the club. Though he hasn’t progressed as well as Barcelona would have wanted him to, he is still a very good striker with a great left foot.
With the sale of Paco Alcacer, Munir remains the only out and out backup for Luis Suarez. Valverde will be looking to give the 31 year old Suarez lots of rest to keep him fresh for the important games, and Munir would want to stake a claim as the future first choice number 9.
#6 Semedo
Nelson Semedo arrived at Barca before the start of the last campaign, and was touted to fill the massive void left by club legend Dani Alves. He had a decent start to his Barca career, and fans were impressed with his abilities.
He has got great speed and skills, and adds a lot moving forward on the right flank. But Valverde seems to trust Sergi Roberto more, considering his superior technical abilities. Semedo is the only natural right back Barcelona have, and his chances will arrive if Sergi is deployed in his preferred midfield position.
Barcelona fans are waiting to see more of Semedo, and hoping he can connect with Leo Messi upfront just like Alves used to.
Conclusion
These are just six players that will want to stake a claim for their role in this star studded Barcelona lineup. Apart from these, there are players like Denis Suarez and Thomas Vermaelen who who will want more chances to prove themselves.
Barca B graduates like Sergi Samper and Carles Alena will be hoping to get a sniff of first team action, as also the young Juan Miranda who will be the deputy to Jordi Alba at the left back position. Young starlet Riqui Puig though will have to wait another season to get a sniff of the first team.
The season is long and Barca will be itching to get hold of the Champions League this time, along with the domestic trophies to complete another treble.
Most of their stars are on the wrong side of 30, which means the coach will be looking to give them a rest at every chance he gets. Hence the youngsters are definitely going to get their chances. It is up to them to make sure they grab it with both their hands.
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