When it
comes to starts to La Liga this season, it could be argued that Barcelona has
one of if not the best. With contenders to the title like Real and Atletico
Madrid, it is a tough league to do so well in, especially while keeping the
other teams from scoring. Despite the less than satisfactory draw against
Malaga, Barcelona has had a great start to the season and has yet to concede a
goal. Fans have seen a new side to the Spanish giants, one that attacks as a
team, but continues to hold the opponents from scoring.
On the offensive side, Barcelona
have been making plays and combinations that have never been seen by this team
before, with Messi having more assists than goals by feeding other strong
attackers such as Neymar. This ability of Messi to distribute the ball from the
midfield stems from the fact that new signing Ivan Rakitic is placed ahead of
Xavi, allowing for Messi to start deeper and even begin to play defense. With
the skill of Messi now focused on all-around playmaking, the attack is more
consistent and widespread, allowing for goals to originate from all areas of
the field. Also, with Luiz Suarez coming soon off of his four month ban and
Messi moving further away from the central striker role, there is only more to
come for the attacking side of this Barcelona team.
As Suarez is reaching the end of his
ban period, there is some concern as to how he will fit in with the already
successful team and if he will even draw away from the success of the other
strikers. As his debut with the top Barcelona team approaches, coach Luis
Enrique appears to be making arrangements to build the team around his arrival.
With Messi playing less of a central striking role, room for Suarez to come in
is being created, and the system already is being proven to work as shown by
their stunning start to the season. Regardless of Suarez’s form coming to his
debut at Barcelona, the team has already proven their effectiveness as a team,
and it is continually proving to be a great year for Barcelona fans.
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