3 ways Barcelona are suffering in the absence of Lionel Messi

#2 Efficiency in the final third

Best friends, on and off the pitch

Lionel Messi has cemented his place as one of the most consistent players across the globe. A key figure for Barcelona and Argentina, Leo has evolved to an efficient attacker.

His calmness on the ball is incredible, as he is rarely dispossessed. In the final third, what matters most is decision making. Messi tends to pick the right pass most of the time, whereas Dembele often bottles easy passing chances.

Dembele is young, and he has already shown glimpses of what he can do. Of course, it would take him plenty of years to reach Messi's level of intelligence, but we cannot rule out the fact that he might be the heir to Messi in the future.

Finishing, passing, presence of mind, and confidence are the few aspects required to be efficient in the final third. These are the areas Messi excels.

Leo's co-ordination with Suarez and Coutinho greatly impacts the game, which brings me to my next point in the article.