5 reasons why Messi will not finish as LaLiga's top goalscorer

#3 Barcelona's pragmatic midfield

Barcelona is currently lacking in creative quality

Once upon a time, the Barcelona midfield was the envy of all other clubs, boasting some of the finest midfielders to ever grace a football pitch. The Blaugrana had within its ranks players such as Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta, Deco and Thiago Alcantara, which made sure Barcelona was not short on quality in the middle of the park.

However, after the departure of those golden midfielders, the acquisitions by the club in recent seasons has seen a departure from the prior focus on creative technique to a more direct approach, with the signings of Paulinho and later Arturo Vidal indicators of that.

The absence of creative players in the centre of the field for Barcelona has seen their chief goalscoring threat Lionel Messi drop deep in an attempt to influence proceeding from midfield, and this has had a consequent impact on their goal returns, as the club managed only 99 league goals last season, compared to the previous three where they scored 110 goals and above in LaLiga.