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It’s finally official. Barcelona will play the 2021-22 season without Lionel Messi. Having spent almost two decades at the club, the Argentinian departed Camp Nou when the Catalans could not afford to re-sign him to an extension.
The same weekend that Messi was unveiled by Paris Saint-Germain before a Ligue 1 game against Strasbourg, Barcelona began life after their talismanic No.10.
And, as fate would have it, both teams recorded similar scorelines in their respective matches. Barcelona's performance, though, was even more impressive as they faced old-time nemesis Real Sociedad.
Ronald Koeman’s side produced a commanding performance at Camp Nou, which culminated in an emphatic 4-2 victory over their opponents.
Martin Braithwaite stars for Barcelona against Real Sociedad
All eyes were on Koeman to see which starting line-up he would name for Barcelona’s opening game of the season. In the absence of Messi, the Dutch manager opted for a front three of Antoine Griezmann, Memphis Depay and Martin Braithwaite.
While this was a collective performance, Depay and Braithwaite stood out. The former looked heartened on his debut and assisted Gerard Pique for the opening goal.
Braithwaite, though, was the star of the show after scoring twice and setting up another in his side’s huge win over Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Messi’s departure leaves a huge void in the team but it also opens the door for other players to take center stage and that is exactly what Braithwaite seems to be doing at the moment.
Life after Lionel Messi not looking bad for Barcelona
If anyone thought life after Messi would be disastrous for Barcelona, the team’s performance against Real Sociedad must have served up some humble pies.
The Blaugrana were confident in possession and completely dominated their opponents. They ended the game with eight shots, of which four were on target, and 61% possession.
“I think our game can be more collective than before, but I’d prefer to have Messi in my team. But if we don’t have the player, it has to be the collective,” Koeman said after the game, as quoted by Goal.
It might be too early to say Barcelona have already gotten over Messi’s departure. Yes, every team would miss a player like the Argentinian but Blaugrana have enough quality to kick on, as evidenced by their collective performance against Real Sociedad.
