'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
They might be dominant in Europe but after a four-game winning streak in LaLiga, FC Barcelona find themselves in a bit of a slump, without winning in the last four games, and it's not going to get better unless the gaffer sees what's wrong.
During the first four games, the league and the world saw how dominant Barcelona could be. They recorded a 3-0 win over Alaves in their opening game followed by a closely-contested 1-0 win over Valladolid.
They then beat Huesca 8-2 in their third straight victory before showing signs of slowing down as they won against Real Sociedad, where they needed to sneak in two goals in the second half to do the job.
After a 4-0 victory against PSV in the Champions League, everything started to go downhill for the Blaugrana after a two-two draw with Girona followed by a shocking defeat at the hands of Leganes.
They then got levelled by Athletico Bilbao in their encounter before facing another draw with Valencia. What's going wrong for Ernesto Valverde and FC Barcelona? Here's what I can see.
#1 Overusing the same starting 11
Looking on the squad list, Valverde has used the same nine players over the last eight league games. Continuous use leads to exhaustion and that's what's happening with Barcelona right at the moment.
More recently, Luis Suarez has been reported with a knee injury which means he will miss the international matches for Uruguay against South Korea and Japan to give him ample time of recovery to feature in Barcelona's next match against current league leaders Sevilla.
Samuel Umtiti also paid the price of continuous game time as he missed out the last two league matches for Barcelona due to a knee ligament injury. Valverde will be hoping to have him back in the squad once they face Sevilla.
The last casualty for Barcelona was Sergi Roberto whose expected to be back by the end of the international break. If Valverde wants to break their winless streak, he should look further into the depth of his squad.
#2 Messi needs his share of rest too
Yes, Lionel Messi might've scored six goals over the last eight league matches and provided an assist but the club itself doesn't stand alone in him. He might not show any signs of fatigue right now but only time will tell.
With a long and winding season ahead of them, Valverde would need to have Messi to be in his 100% week in and week out. If this is something he needs, he also needs to make sure that the five-time Balon d'Or winner is well-rested.
#3 Not utilising new signings to their billing
After acquiring the services of Arturo Vidal, Malcom, Clement Lenglet, Arthur, and Marlon, FC Barcelona were expected to have as much firepower in their second stringers like the mainstays but it was a different case for them.
Although Arthur has been showing a lot of promise in the midfield, he seems to be more restricted than what he can show the world of what he's capable of. But the most intriguing to look into is the case of Vidal.
The statement from the Chilean says it all. Only being able to start the match for FC Barcelona for two games, Vidal's still looking to fill in the spot that was left by Paulinho but Valverde doesn't seem to put much faith in him.
Nevertheless, not only about Vidal but with everyone in his squad, Valverde should be able to rotate well to give his precious players the chance to have a breather if they are planning to go for greatness this season.
