Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal - 3 talking points | 2019 Joan Gamper Trophy

#1 Barcelona midfield conundrum for Valverde

Messi addressed the crowd after the match

Over the years, Barcelona have made a name for themselves as a team boasting immense talent in the middle of the park.

Frenkie de Jong's addition has increased competition for places, and with the displays by his midfielders over the course of preseason, Ernesto Valverde would have a hard time selecting his preferred trio.

Against Arsenal, Ivan Rakitic, Frenkie de Jong and youngster Riqui Puig started and all three men impressed, helping Barcelona control proceedings and dominate possession.

The latter is a La Masia product and is expected to play a key role this season, and when you consider that other young players like Carlos Alena and Oriol Busquets are also on the periphery of the squad, you realize the enormity of Barcelona's problem.

Arthur is also another player who impressed last season, while Sergio Busquets is a sure starter and Arturo Vidal and Rafinha are still on the books.

Barcelona have at least nine players competing for limited slots available in midfield, and it is in light of this that Valverde stated that selling off midfielders could be a priority given the intense competition for places.

Those players appear to be Vidal, Rakitic and Rafinha and while the Premier League window would be closing in a few days time, the Catalans still have until the end of the month to get rid of them.

In other developments, Lionel Messi was back with the squad and although he did not take to the field of play, he addressed the crowd after the match in his role as captain.

However, unlike this time last season where he promised (and failed) to bring the Champions League trophy to Nou Camp, there were no grandiose vows this time although he did state that he did not regret making those statements last year.