La Liga
FC Barcelona: What Can They Expect Now?
Barcelona have begun showing glimpses of what they are truly capable of in recent weeks. The Catalan giants had a slightly turbulent period of form starting late September. They ended up drawing three and losing one of their four league fixtures.
Their only win came against Spurs in the Champions League. They eventually shook it all of with a comprehensive win against title contenders Sevilla. This win came at a heavy cost however. Barcelona were cruising in the first 20 minutes before their captain and talisman Leo Messi suffered a horrific injury to his right arm. He was subbed off after racking up a goal and an assist prior to the injury. The news came in that he had suffered a fracture to his radial bone. What next? Let us take a look.
Torrid Times Without Messi And In Defense?
With arguably their most important player out injured, it was more necessary than ever for the team to pull through and function as a unit. Not only Messi but one of their most important central defenders Samuel Umtiti suffered a knee injury. He is still out on the sidelines. The bad run of form where Barcelona went win-less in four games was in no small part due to lapses in defense. The back line was looking really shaky and making a lot of unforced errors. Some of them proving fatal. Umtiti’s injury only piled on to the defensive woes.
And boy did they deliver. Ernesto Valverde’s side put up a solid display against Inter Milan in the Champions League and came away with a 2-0 win. And up next was the most awaited game of their season so far. Then, El Clásico. One of club football’s biggest games between two of it’s biggest rivals. Anticipation was rising. The Galacticos were on a poor run of form themselves but they were determined to turn it around. Alas, in front of a crowd of more than 93,000 people, Barcelona ran riot. A 5-1 demolition. Any doubts about them struggling without Messi were put to bed. Luis Suarez turned up big with a great hat-trick.
And now, news has come in that the Argentine superstar is back in training. He might even make an appearance against Inter in Barça’s Champions League return fixture. Another fantastic piece of news for Los Cules is that Umtiti has also returned to partial training and is making great strides in his recovery.
What Next For Barça?
With the return of Messi and Umtiti imminent, things are looking up for the Blaugrana. Although there is optimism, there are tough tests ahead.
- Rayo Vallecano: This will be the easiest of the upcoming fixtures on paper. Rayo are second from bottom in the league and winless in their last five games. Although they cannot be underestimated. Bottom placed Leganes had also pulled off a shock result when they were at rock bottom and beat Barcelona.
- Inter Milan: The first of a flurry of tough opponents. Inter will be hungry to avenge their away loss in October. They will also have the home advantage this time around.
- Real Betis: Despite not being in the best form of late, Quique Setien’s outfit are capable of playing some incredible football. They will travel to the Camp Nou in hopes of pulling off an upset.
- Atletico de Madrid: A supremely tough affair for the Catalans. They will travel to the Wanda Metropolitana and take on Atleti who are in fourth place, just two points behind Barça. After a slow start to the season, the Rojiblancos have also picked up the pace. They are in good form.
- Villarreal: Another tough opponent but this time at home. Barcelona will still be optimistic because ‘The Yellow Submarine’ haven’t really hit the ground running this season. They are currently 17th but they will have a little time before the game against the Catalans to improve their run of form.
All in all, the Blaugrana can look back on their recent form fondly. They will go into the month of November with renewed vigor. There is no doubt that they can show their true character once again now that their talisman Messi and defensive bedrock Umtiti will be back soon as well.
Over to you FC Barcelona.
Photo credit to Tessy Infohub via Flickr
