A look at the Barcelona midfield since the La Liga restart

The midfield is the backbone of every football team. It is an absolute necessity to have good players in that position. Since the departure of Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, Barcelona have struggled to find creativity in the middle of the pitch.

Philippe Coutinho was brought in from Liverpool in the summer of 2018, and much was expected of him. Yet, the Brazilian was heavily deployed in the left-wing forward position, a role that had been his compatriot Neymar’s since 2013. Coutinho struggled to stake his claim in the Barcelona XI and was eventually loaned out to Bayern Munich.

In recent years, Arthur Melo was brought in from Gremio. But the promising 23-year-old was shipped to Juventus after spending just two seasons in the Nou Camp in an absurd transfer move that may look good in terms of short term gains, but actually backfire in the long run for Barcelona.

It is interesting to note that the current Barcelona team has a very high average player age: Lionel Messi, Arturo Vidal, Luis Suarez and Gerard Pique are all 33. Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba are 31 years old.

The new signings Antoine Griezmann and Martin Braithwaite are 29 and 28 respectively. Even Miralem Pjanic, the Bosnian midfielder whom Barcelona have recently procured through an exchange deal with Juventus, is 31.

The only young players who play a prominent role in the Barcelona team are midfielders Frenkie de Jong, Riqui Puig and winger Ansu Fati. On that note, we take a look at four of the most influential Barcelona midfielders since the post-pandemic La Liga restart.

A look at the Barcelona midfield post the La Liga restart

Ivan Rakitic

Ivan Rakitic has looked like a man-reborn during his impressive performances for Barcelona in recent matches.

Barcelona fans will never forget Ivan Rakitic’s fourth minute goal in Berlin at the 2015 UEFA Champions League final, which remains the club’s last appearance in a European Cup final. In the last few seasons, Rakitic’s form has dipped massively.

He is no longer the player that he was since arriving at Barcelona from Sevilla, and he continually piqued the ire of the fans through his underwhelming performances. Under Ernesto Valverde, Rakitic struggled to get minutes, and it seemed as if a move away from the Camp Nou was inevitable for the Croatian World Cup finalist.

Over the years, Rakitic has been part of memorable moments for Barcelona,. One such instance was his pass to Lionel Messi in the 2015 Champions League semifinal; Messi hoodwinked Jerome Boateng before dinking the ball over Manuel Neuer.

This season, however, especially after the post-pandemic restart of La Liga, Rakitic has looked much livelier. He was arguably Barcelona’s best midfielder against Leganes in their 2-0 home win.

Rakitic's crucial goal against Athletic Bilbao in the 71st minute gave Barcelona a narrow victory to keep their slim La Liga title hopes alive. His role as an added holding midfielder in the 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid also impressed many fans. For now, it seems Ivan Rakitic is not yet a spent force at Barcelona.

Artuto Vidal

Arturo Vidal has been a key player in the midfield for Barcelona this season.

Since his arrival from Bayern Munich in 2018, Arturo Vidal has added dynamism to the Barcelona midfield. Due to the Catalan giants’ penchant for technical midfielders, Vidal’s purchase was met with raised eyebrows, but it is now safe to say that all doubts and skepticism about the Chilean have been put to bed.

The 33-year-old, although no longer young anymore, still retains his hunger and desire to win the ball back. At Barcelona, he has displayed his trademark tenacity and warrior-like spirit.

However, he has often been criticised for his poor decision-making in the final third of the pitch. In the match against Celta Vigo, Vidal had an opportunity to play the ball to the onrushing Nelson Semedo who would have been through on goal. Instead, the Chilean national chose to have a shot at goal, which flew way off-the mark.

Such instances show that although Vidal is a good asset to have, he still needs to improve on certain key areas of his game. Yet, it was also his 65th goal against RCD Mallorca that set the ball rolling for Barcelona in their post-pandemic La Liga campaign.

Riqui Puig

Riqui Puig has looked like a first-team player with his spectacular performances for Barcelona since the post-pandemic restart.

If there is one Barcelona player other than Lionel Messi who has caught everyone's attention right now, it is Riqui Puig. The 21-year-old has been a sensation ever since he fought his way into manager Quique Setien’s plans.

His introduction in the 56th minute in the game against Athletic Bilbao completely rejuvenated the Barcelona midfield and indirectly contributed to his team’s goal in the 71st minute. Puig won the ball back several times that night and injected a sense of hunger into the team.

Since then, the youngster has only improved by leaps and bounds. The injury to Frenkie de Jong has opened the door for the La Masia graduate, and he has grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

Puig was a livewire against Celta Vigo in Balaidos, where he was Barcelona’s best midfielder. It is also noteworthy that just two minutes after Setien took him off in the 86th minute, Barcelona conceded a free-kick goal to Iago Aspas.

Against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, Puig provided us flashes of Andres Iniesta, especially with a deep run from midfield in the second half when trying to meet a lofted through pass from Lionel Messi.

The others

FC Barcelona must now fully focus on the Champions League.

Recently, Sergio Busquets has not been at his best, and Frenkie de Jong is out injured.

Sergi Roberto was deployed in the game against Atletico Madrid, but he failed to produce anything significant.

With the La Liga title almost slipping out of Barcelona's grasp, Setien must now try to keep improving his midfield, if Barcelona are to have a serious chance of winning the Champions League in August.