download All Football App

Barcelona: A glass half full or half empty?

  /  autty

After a 0-0 draw against Lyon, Barcelona left France in a dangerous position. The failure to score an away goal at the Stade de Lyon was not good preparation as the club finds themselves with a handful of tough matches in the near future. First comes Sevilla in LaLiga Santander, Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, then the second leg against Lyon at the Camp Nou. Going forward, every one of those games is a decisive match which is preceded by more doubts than certainties. So is the glass half full or half empty for the Blaugrana?

Having only scored two goals in four games, the drought in front of goal is a concern for the club. This is the most worrying dynamic because scoring goals is what wins games, especially the tough ones.

With the Brazilian midfielder being out since February 8, Barcelona's game has lost some fluidity and Ernesto Valverde has not found a remedy. Arthur has the kind of talent that is very hard to replace and the efforts of Arturo Vidal and Sergi Roberto sometimes are not enough. He is not expected to play the next few matches so the coach will have to find another resolution.

Lionel Messi has not played the same way since coming back from injury. Weeks ago he saved the match against Leganes after coming off the bench and also salvaged a tie against Valencia. He was playing at a level that was outstanding compared to the other players on the pitch but now, he is feeling more vague and less clairvoyant. A goal, or a penalty, might be able to change things.

The Uruguayan has gone 24 hours without scoring a goal at home and his drought has had an impact on the team's recent results. Valverde continues to support him and gives him the opportunity to start most matches, but Ousmane Dembele, Malcolm and Kevin-Prince Boateng are not being given as many chances as a result.

The club has had difficulties trying to claim victories away from home in the Champions League knockout stage. Their last win in UCL knockout round was 2-0 win over Arsenal in 2015/16 season.

In all competitions, the team is in good standing. The club currently hold first place in LaLiga Santander and have a seven-point lead against Atletico Madrid and a nine-point margin to Real Madrid. Looking at the Copa del Rey, the team is going the second leg of the semi-final level with Real Madrid at 1-1, which is not a bad result. In the Champions League, the quarter-final will be played against a lesser team, but the return leg must be won against Lyon.

Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is saving Barcelona with his stops. The German puts on his gloves night after night and keeps clean sheet after clean sheet for the club. In LaLiga Santander, he has only conceded four goals in the last 11 rounds and gained some a sense of reliability from Valverde. Right now, he could be considered the best goalkeeper in the world.

Gerard Pique is the fittest outfield player in Barcelona's squad and he has been leading the team both on and off the pitch. Besides putting in some of his best performances for the Catalan club, the defender throws his weight behind his teammates and warns the football world that the Blaugrana are only going through a rough patch.

While the talents of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez usually grab the headlines, the skills of a healthy Ousmane Dembele can also be very decisive. His season has, in general terms, impeccable but his return from injury will be crucial for the next few matches.

In order to look at things positively, it is only necessary to remember that Lionel Messi plays for Barcelona and even though he's not at his best at the moment, a little bit of Leo is still a lot. It is inevitable that he will become decisive again soon in this season that he took the captaincy. The performances, leadership and goals will come again soon.