How will Barca adjust to life after Messi?
The day that no Catalan ever wanted to see has come and gone. Lionel Messi, the greatest player to ever grace the sport of football has seen an untimely end to his career at the club that he achieved it all with, and the reasons have left many reeling. In line with La Liga laws that were rolled out that in turn prevented the Catalan giants from extending the contract of their favourite son, the footballing world has been sent into an absolute frenzy while trying to make sense of a Messi-less Barcelona. But how will Barca settle after the departure of the greatest of all time?
The departure of Lionel Messi has had a huge effect on more than just the fans that flock to the Camp Nou every other week to watch their blue and red clad superstars. There are certain players who have taken a lot of criticism in the aftermath of Messi’s move to PSG.
Among these have been French internationals Samuel Umtiti and Antoine Griezmann, who were reportedly not prepared to take pay cuts to help the deal to keep Messi alive. These two players have also in recent times fallen out of favour with the Catalan faithful, as their poor performances and unfulfilled potential have left many disappointed.
The truth however, is that these players cannot be blamed for Messi’s departure. The question remains; what will Barca’s future look like in the absence of one of the players that has come to define the club’s entire identity. They say no player is bigger than a club, but Messi’s ability makes that fact somewhat questionable.
Some may ask whether the inbound players will have enough to fill the void left by Messi. The truth is, they have had a brilliant transfer window. Signing the likes of Depay, and Aguero, who will most certainly link up with the likes of Griezmann and Dembele, the picture is certainly not all doom and gloom.
The Catalans also sport a midfield that hosts some of the most exciting young talents in that part of the pitch in all of Europe. Frenkie De Jong and Pedri are set to be bound for greatness, and they themselves are partnered with one of the most experienced and respected central defensive midfielders in the world in Sergio Busquets.
While there is no player in the world to fill the Messi void, there are many within the squad that Barcelona can draw from to create and convert goals, and rebuild the brand that once screamed Lionel Messi.
Currently, bookmakers from around the world, including online betting platforms from South Africa, and brick and mortar betting shops in England still think that Barcelona have a strong claim to the La Liga title, as the truth is, they have plenty of talent, both new and experienced to draw from.
After a solid preseason, and a near perfect start to La Liga, many would argue that while Messi was always bound to leave a gaping void, the work done by Barcelona’s recruitment team may just be enough to see them continue with a business as usual aspect in terms of their dominance both in Spain and in the rest of Europe.