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The footballing world is still coming to terms with Lionel Messi’s exit from Barcelona. Meanwhile, the club made a good start to their La Liga campaign with a 4-2 victory over Real Sociedad.
The win, though significant, was the outcome of a very different style of play than the one we were used to during the Messi era. After all, when you have the greatest player ever in your team, there's going to be a certain predictability to the playing style.
Messi was involved in most of the attacking build-up and his Barcelona teammates always looked to pass the ball to him. That was on top of him scoring the most goals and assists for the club almost every year. This predictability was known to the opposition as well and their main objective was very clear: stop Messi.
Now, things have changed, as was evident from the entertaining victory in the first league match. The quick transitional play from the defense to the front three was something new. There was less hold-up in midfield and the ball was being moved very quickly. The front three of Martin Braithwaite, Memphis Depay and Antoine Griezmann were rushing into the penalty area at every chance.
In the absence of their talismanic captain, many players stepped up and performed as a team. Braithwaite was sensational throughout, scoring two goals and assisting another. With a man-of-the-match performance, Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman will certainly be leaning on him in the absence of Ansu Fati, Sergio Aguero and Ousmane Dembele.
Griezmann was another player who performed admirably. The Frenchman seemed to be playing the role of Messi and was given the freedom to roam around, linking play and creating chances. His work rate was never in question, and on a number of occasions during the match, he tracked back to help out the team.
Even Frenkie de Jong and Pedri were making forays into the penalty area. This dynamic play by all the Barcelona players is what was causing the opposition a lot of headaches.
The unpredictability of link-up play and rushing into dangerous areas was very refreshing to see. On top of that, the long balls from Eric Garcia to Depay on a couple of occasions added further ambiguity to their play.
This performance has everyone excited. When Messi was at the club, there were certain expectations and pressure to perform. But for now, the team is in uncharted waters and the only way forward is up.
Barcelona have a new way of playing, combined with numerous youngsters making their debut. They will definitely serve up some unpredictable matches and results this season. The competition will be cautious in their approach and might need to rethink how they're going to stop aMessi-less Barcelona.
