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3. Barcelona
After a wretched summer at Camp Nou, it has come as a surprise as to just how well Barcelona have adapted to life without Neymar. Sold to PSG for €222 million, the Catalan side lost the man they imagined was going to become the long-term replacement for Lionel Messi.
The board made a mess of trying to find a replacement but ultimately performed some good work to sign Ousmane Dembele, only to have that backfire as he sustained a nasty hamstring tear that will keep him out until Christmas.
Alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Barca look a light, with Gerard Deulofeu suddenly thrust into an important role.
Messi has shown himself to be perhaps the greatest player in the game currently by shouldering immense responsibility to net nine league goals already this season. It is a rate, however, that surely even the great Argentine cannot maintain.
