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When Neymar left Barcelona during the summer of 2017, it looked as if all was lost at the Nou Camp as the Catalan giants struggled to cope with the departure of the Brazilian which was highlighted by a 5-1 humiliation at the hands of Real Madrid during the Supercopa de Espana.
But then came a surge from the magical Lionel Messi who worked really hard and singlehandedly returned the Blaugrana to the top of their game. This was demonstrated by taking up the responsibility of firing the team in front of goal, dropping deep in midfield to orchestrate team play as well as improving the overall performance of the team.
Messi occupied a huge role in Barca's team last season. He was their best finisher, best creator, play orchestrator as well as the go-to-guy whenever the team needed extra inspiration and he was so good that Ernesto Valverde's men claimed a fantastic domestic double last term.
However, things have changed quite a bit this season. While Messi remains the undisputed superstar at the Nou Camp, the Argentine now has a number of fantastic superstars who are also sharing these responsibilities and the relieving the attacker of his immense workload. Below, we take a look at 4 of them:
#4 Jordi Alba
There aren't many left-backs across Europe's top 5 leagues at the moment who can claim to be at the same level as Spanish International, Jordi Alba - courtesy of his explosive performances on the left flank of Barcelona's defence since the beginning of the campaign.
The Spaniard has been a huge revelation on the left wing this season, with his electrifying pace, quick acceleration and incredible passing rendering him a threatening figure to opponents in the LaLiga and in Europe as well.
With his ability to penetrate opposition defences and link up perfectly with his teammates to create clear-cut goalscoring chances, Alba has been sharing the creative job with Lionel Messi this season and the duo have combined on multiple occasions to wreak havoc on opposing teams and lead the Blaugrana to important victories.
#3 Luis Suarez
After representing his nation in the recent FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia, it took Uruguayan superstar Luis Suarez some time to find his best at Barcelona this season, but when the striker eventually rolled back the years, he has remained simply unstoppable.
The attacker has joined forces with Lionel Messi in firing the Catalan giants in front of goal and he has offered some relief to the Argentine International, having found the back of the net an impressive 11 times for Barcelona in 19 appearances across all competitions this season.
Suarez has also been a creative force for Barcelona this term, bagging an incredible 4 assists for the Catalans in LaLiga as well as recording a decent 2 assists to his name in the UEFA Champions League as he continues to fire Ernesto Valverde's men ahead alongside his Argentine teammate.
#2 Arthur Melo
Brazilian youngster Arthur Melo is also one of the few Barcelona players who is currently helping to reduce the workload on Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp this season, following his move from Gremio to the Catalan capital during the summer transfer window.
Arthur has been a huge revelation ever since he linked up with Ernesto Valverde's men this term, helping to dictate play from the middle of the pitch, controlling possession as well as awakening the likes of Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic, and bringing some spark into Barcelona's midfield.
The arrival of the Brazilian midfielder has helped to reduce the workload on Lionel Messi enormously as the Argentine now drops deep in midfield less frequently compared to last season, enabling him to focus on his responsibility of providing chances, scoring goals and wrecking havoc on opposing defences.
#1 Ousmane Dembele
Following a troubled start to life in the Catalan capital amidst injury crisis last season, former Borussia Dortmund winger Ousmane Dembele has come back to life this term and is currently firing on all cylinders.
A highly talented youngster with sheer pace and electrifying dribbling skills, capable of tearing opposition defences apart and creating magical moments, Dembele has gone a long way in justifying why Barcelona spent a huge sum to acquire him.
The Frenchman has stepped up where it really mattered several times this season and it appears that the winger is capable of deciding the fate of big games even when Lionel Messi struggles to find an answer just as we saw in the games against the likes of Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad recently.
With his 8 goals in 20 appearances for Barcelona this season, it is evident that the Frenchman is taking a good share of the goalscoring responsibilities while his 8 assists across all competitions is a proof that he also does the creative job, thereby, reducing the workload on the Argentine maestro.
