'%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,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQb/2gAIAQEAAAAADnf/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECEAAAAA//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAEf/xAAeEAACAgICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEESEABgUz0v/aAAgBAQABPwCbq9NBBGp9q0y6xMV2Sscu2zrbHXLPWbpsSlU8WVLnBy/zz//EABsRAAIBBQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDAAIREyHx/9oACAECAQE/AFuqxC++Cf/EABkRAAIDAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEDAAIEBf/aAAgBAwEBPwDkIGtRuwz/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
FC Barcelona dropped 7 points out of possible 9 and all of them coming in three consecutive matches drawing against Girona FC and Athletic Bilbao at home while losing to CD Leganes away from home.
Barcelona has struggled against mid-table teams, and are yet to face top-level teams. Here we take a look at some of the reasons for Barcelona's suffering.
#1 Players have taken spot in the team for granted
Players like Leo Messi, Marc-André ter Stegen, Ivan Rakitic, Gerard Pique and Luis Suarez are almost assured of being in the starting eleven, but some of these players have taken this for granted.
Pique and Rakitic have come under heavy scrutiny from fans for underperforming. Pique's defensive errors have cost the team dearly.
Meanwhile, Ivan Rakitic has also seen a dip in form after a spectacular World Cup, with his performances not pleasing fans who have accused him of lacking that creative edge for the past few weeks. Even Luis Suarez has not been at his best, drawing blanks on various occasions and missing big chances to put his team ahead.
#2 Heavy dependency on Lionel Messi
For the past few seasons, FC Barcelona has heavily relied on Leo Messi to bail them out and get them going. It is quite evident to see that they suffer when Messi is having a bad day on the field.
Even after having such a star-studded team, the team's heavy dependency on Messi is astonishing. The Argentine has scored five goals in the league this season, registering 4.3 shots per game. However, he’s unparalleled in terms of chance creation, completing 4.5 dribbles per game and 4 key passes per game.
The team may boast of players like Coutinho, Suarez, Dembele, Malcom, but in the end, it's Messi who makes them better and gets Barcelona ticking.
#3 Flawed rotational policy
Ernesto Valverde, citing the difficult months of September and October, where FC Barcelona play twice every week, started rotating his squad in order to keep all his players fit along with providing them with adequate rest.
Valverde made three changes to his best eleven against Girona replacing Coutinho with Arthur and Ivan Rakitic with Arturo Vidal in his preferred three-man midfield of Rakitic, Busquets and Coutinho and replacing Umtiti with Lenglet in defence, who went on to pick a red later on.
Even after drawing against Girona, the rotation did not stop, with Valverde benching Suarez for Munir and brought in Vermaelen to replace Alba to play as a left back against Leganes, which backfired as Barcelona put in a disastrous performance, conceding two goals within a minute to lose the match.
To make matters worse, Valverde opted to bench Messi against Athletic Bilbao in the next match, and he had to come off the bench to help his side salvage a point. Valverde's rotation has only disrupted the team and helped the team in no manner.
The Barca manager has always had to sub in the players he rested because his tactics or plans haven't been working this season. Valverde's decision-making is under scrutiny because his decisions have been quite questionable.
#4 Style of Play
For years, Barcelona have been synonymous with possession football, but that is not their style of play anymore. Even though they boast the best possession stats in La Liga this term as well, the priority has always been control.
However, that’s precisely what they’ve ceded so often this season. Valverde has shifted from a 4-4-2 to 4-3-3 in a bid to be more offensive, but that has disrupted his team's defensive stability.
While they enjoy lengthy spells of possession, they have a tendency to commit too many men forward, leaving their defence exposed. With the likes of Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho often operating in the same XI, they’re virtually playing with four forwards while their full-backs are pushed high up the pitch as well.
In other words, they set themselves up perfectly to be hit on the counter-attack. So even when they have the ball at times, they’re only exposing themselves more on and more. Teams try to capitalize on open spaces and try to benefit when the Catalans switch off.
