5 concerns for Barcelona ahead of the La Liga season (2021-22)

#3 Injury to Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero has been ruled out for 10 weeks due to a calf injury

Sergio Aguero must wait to make his Barcelona debut in La Liga. The Argentine has been ruled out for 10 weeks due to a calf injury.

Ronald Koeman only has the options of Antoine Griezmann, Memphis Depay and Martin Braithwaite upfront now. While Depay has shown great promise since arriving, the same cannot be said for Griezmann and Braithwaite.

With Barcelona struggling to offload Griezmann and Braithwaite, the duo might end up staying at Camp Nou. The La Liga giants will be hoping they can contribute to the team's success, but the lack of an out-and-out striker like Aguero could hurt the side early on.

Aguero has netted 184 goals in 275 Premier League games for Manchester City and was the perfect talisman for Barcelona to look forward to after Messi's departure. Unfortunately for the La Liga giants, Aguero will have to wait before he can try and make a difference.

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#2 Brand value and finances taking further hit

Barcelona had the highest wage bill in Europe under the presidency of Josep Bartomeu

It is no secret that Barcelona are in troubled waters as far as the finances are concerned. La Liga has not allowed the club to make new signings unless Barcelona manage to balance the books.

The Catalans had a wage bill higher than the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United under former president Josep Maria Bartomeu. The new management has nearly halved the wage bill from €671m to €347m, with their €324m reduction being by far the largest in La Liga.

However, the reductions are still not enough since Barcelona's current wage bill is well over the stipulated La Liga salary caps, which eventually resulted in the departure of Lionel Messi.

The Argentine's transfer to Paris Saint-Germain will have massive repercussions as far as Barcelona's finances are concerned. From shirt sales to broadcast revenue, everything is expected to suffer in the wake of the move.

The club could also suffer a massive downfall in their brand name, stadium attendance in La Liga and a dip in possible sponsorships as well.

Furthermore, shirt sponsors and partners will eventually drift away from the club as they will no longer be sported by the little magician on his sleeve.

Hence Barcelona, as a brand, could lose a fortune in the long term and that might aggravate the club's already dismal financial conditions.

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#1 The void left behind by Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has left Barcelona

Barcelona have been synonymous with Lionel Messi ever since he emerged from La Masia. The kid from Rosario has been the face of the club on and off the pitch.

The talisman stepped up consistently for Barcelona to score crucial goals and turn several games on its head in La Liga. Be it free-kicks, solo goals or out-of-the-blue assists, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner had everything to offer whenever his club needed him to.

The departure of Lionel Messi puts a direct strain on Barcelona's overall strengths. When the going gets tough in La Liga, Messi will no longer be there to pop up with his individual brilliance and save Barcelona.

Messi provided arguably the world's strongest alternative to scoring goals and creating opportunities which will be a big miss for the club.

Losing Messi has catapulted an emotional response from the players and the fans, a void the club will never be able to fill in decades.

The automatic reason for Barcelona's potential failure to win the title, especially in La Liga, could now be attributed to the absence of Messi.

Everyone at the club needs to take responsibility and make peace with life after Messi at Barcelona or there could be problems for the La Liga heavyweights.