4 factors behind Barcelona's struggles this season | La Liga 2019-20

#1 Injury crisis

Injuries to key players contributed to Barca's struggles

One of the biggest problems behind Barcelona's sluggish start to the season is their ill luck with injuries. The Blaugrana have been ravaged by injuries since the build-up to the new term and that has manifested itself as a troubled start to the campaign.

Lionel Messi was the first to get sidelined a few days before the season opener after picking up a calf injury in training. The Argentine couldn't feature in Barca's first four games of the term due to the knock and was only passed fit by the medical team recently.

Luis Suarez also injured his knee during the game against Athletic Bilbao while Ousmane Dembele followed suit and is yet to feature following the injury he sustained in the same game. With three of Barca's attackers sidelined for most of the term so far, Ernesto Valverde's men struggled to make an impact up front, which has contributed immensely to their problems this season.