5 current Barcelona players who lack consistency

Barcelona have been home to some of the biggest names in football, including Lionel Messi, Johan Cruyff and even Diego Maradona. Such legends have consistently performed for the Blaugrana during their spells with the club, taking Barcelona to soaring heights. Despite the quality of the current squad taking a substantial dip in recent years, there remains an elite group of players that still deliver on a coherent basis.

Current Barcelona stars who never fail to impress

Despite their defensive woes, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has proven to be a rock between the sticks, constantly putting in stellar performances. While Barcelona are yet to find a defensive recruit to match the German's consistency, they have plenty of reliable stars in their midfield.

Even though the evergreen Sergio Busquets has experienced a slight decline in form in recent times, he is still an absolute world-beater at the base of Barcelona's midfield. Fortunately for the club captain, he now has the likes of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong to assist him in the center of the pitch, with both youngsters always coming to Barcelona's rescue.

Nevertheless, their sorry state of the present has a lot to do with the dwindling forms of several first-team players. Barcelona's heavy reliance on Lionel Messi has finally come to light after his departure, exposing the shortcomings of his former teammates. On that note, let's take a look at the five Barcelona players who are severely inconsistent at the moment:

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#5 Jordi Alba

FC Barcelona v Getafe CF - LaLiga Santander

Having recently been promoted to be one of the four designated club captains following Lionel Messi's untimely exit, Jordi Alba is one of the most senior figures at Barcelona. The Spanish left-back has been a loyal servant to the Blaugrana for over nine years now, with the ongoing season being his tenth at the club.

However, the seasoned veteran has experienced a slight dip in form in recent years. Alba, who is considered to be a double threat by his opponents, has been a little sluggish in his defending lately. While his attacking yield has mostly covered the rest of his shortcomings, with Alba producing 20 goal contributions last term, his output at the back has been somewhat inconsistent.

The pacy defender has been a key figure on the offensive front for Barcelona, which has affected his involvement at the back. His runs upfront have taken a significant toll on his ability to track back during a counter-attack, with forwards finding it easier to dart past the ageing full-back now. At 32, Alba is not getting any younger and Barcelona desperately need an eventual successor to the veteran's throne.

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#4 Philippe Coutinho

Coutinho has little time to salvage his reputation at Barcelona

The most divisive figure in the current Barcelona squad, Philippe Coutinho has his fair share of admirers as well as doubters. The Brazilian maestro has failed to produce his best football following his record-breaking €135 million transfer to the Catalan giants.

Coutinho was expected to take the limelight at Camp Nou after Lionel Messi's departure to PSG, with Culers hoping to see him as Barcelona's chief creator. So far in the 2020-21 season, they have only witnessed flashes of brilliance from the 29-year-old Brazilian, with Coutinho blatantly looking a bit rusty.

Under Ronald Koeman, the former Liverpool attacker could never establish himself as an essential member of the current Barcelona side. As a result, his recent form has been wavering, to say the least. If Coutinho can successfully maintain his fitness and nail down a starting role under the soon-to-be-appointed new Barcelona manager, he might be able to attain some sort of consistency.

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#3 Clement Lenglet

Lenglet has been very disappointing recently

Clement Lenglet made a bright start to his Barcelona career, adequately replacing the injured Samuel Umtiti on his arrival in 2018. While many critics had their doubts about the amount that the Blaugrana had spent to acquire his services from Sevilla, a strong debut campaign seemed to have comfortably silenced them.

Nevertheless, his inconsistent nature soon kicked in, and Barcelona were forced to pay a hefty price for his mistakes. He inexplicably gave away a massive four penalties in the 2020-21 season alone, confirming his status as one of the most error-prone defenders in football right now.

Subsequently, the French centre-half has lost his spot in Barcelona's starting lineup, with the likes of Ronald Araujo, Oscar Minguez and newcomer Eric Garcia now ahead of him in the pecking order. Lenglet's discouraging inconsistency has stripped him off of his reputation as an elite defender, with the likes of Newcastle United now showing an interest in the Barcelona outcast.

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#2 Sergi Roberto

FC Barcelona v Real Sociedad - LaLiga Santander

The quintessential utility man, things have taken an ugly turn for Sergi Roberto in recent years. A respected personality in the Barcelona squad during his prime, Roberto has successfully tarnished his reputation as the hero of the fabled 'La Remontada' against PSG due to his recent antics.

One of the longest-serving players at Barcelona right now, Roberto has completed his journey from being an undisputed starter to just another squad member at the club. His 'safe play' ideology has seriously affected Barcelona's on-field performances, with the Spaniard failing to provide anything substantial during build-up play.

His versatility and defensive contributions are the only things, aside from nostalgia, that have kept him from being ousted from the club. Having been an amazing servant to the Blaugrana since his La Masia days, Roberto's days at the top are swiftly approaching their end. The inconsistent 29-year-old is on track to become a free agent next summer. From the looks of it, though, not many people in Barcelona should miss his absence, come next year.

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#1 Ousmane Dembele

Dembele hasn't made a single appearance this season

Undoubtedly the most erratic player currently plying his trade at Camp Nou, Ousmane Dembele has never been a reliable figure upfront for the Catalan giants. While he has indeed been unlucky with injuries during his four-year stay with Barcelona, the French playmaker has shown a certain sense of immaturity in his game when fit.

The 2020-21 season was his first full season with the Blaugrana, following his €135 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund. For the first time in four years, the footballing world finally got to see the brilliance of Dembele in a Barcelona jersey. In 44 appearances, the 24-year-old prodigy managed to rack up 11 goals and five assists, his best output since 2018.

However, with increased exposure, several of his shortcomings also took center stage last season. The most pivotal drawback of his game has turned out to be his poor decision-making skills. His failure to adequately read the game in the final hour has resulted in Dembele squandering numerous golden opportunities. Still spending time on the treatment table, Dembele will have to adopt a much more careful approach to the game if he desires to achieve success at Camp Nou.

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