BARCELONA ARE OFF their worst La Liga start since Lionel Messi’s debut season nine years ago.
A 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad was described as a “miracle” by Barca boss Luis Enrique in what he singled out as the worst performance in his three seasons in charge.
Barca are already six points adrift of Real Madrid ahead of their meeting in El Clasico on Saturday.
Here, we look at what has gone wrong so far this season for the Spanish champions.
Key injuries hurt
Messi rescued Barca from a fifth consecutive defeat on their travels to San Sebastian, but Sunday’s draw was the first time Barca have dropped points in the league this season when the Argentine has completed 90 minutes.
Messi’s presence has been sorely missed in defeats to Celta Vigo and Alaves and draws with Malaga and Atletico Madrid.
However, he is far from the only key man to have sat out some part of the season so far.
Andres Iniesta has been out for over a month, whilst his Spanish international teammates Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba were also sidelined for a number of weeks.
Busquets isolated
An often underrated pillar of Barca’s success in the past decade, Sergio Busquets is in the midst of his most protracted dip in form since breaking into the first team under Pep Guardiola in 2008.
It is no coincidence that Busquets’s struggles have come for the first prolonged period in his career without retired legend Xavi or Iniesta by his side.
His influence in terms of touches and passes completed has wained since Enrique took charge and favoured a more direct style to feed a superstar front three of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar more quickly.
However, without the ball Busquets is now being exposed by the lack of support around him as Ivan Rakitic has been forced wider on the right to protect the inexperienced Sergi Roberto, who the departed Dani Alves at right-back.
Tough start
Whilst Barca have failed to hit the heights of old, the gap between them and Madrid can also be explained by the differing challenges they have faced to date.
The Catalans have already made tricky trips to Sevilla, Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao, Celta Vigo and, despite their current struggles, Valencia, as well as Atletico Madrid at home.
Real’s 31-game unbeaten run will be put firmly to the test at the Camp Nou on Saturday, but other challenges await for the European champions with four away trips in five games just as the Champions League returns in February.
Summer signing busts
Barca splurged over €120 million euros in the summer transfer window in a bid to bolster their squad.
So far to no avail as none of their six recruits have established themselves in Enrique’s preferred starting XI.
Despite beating off Madrid to the signature of Andre Gomes, the Portuguese Euro 2016 winner has failed to make an impression in Iniesta’s absence, whilst 30 million euro striker Paco Alcacer has yet to score a goal.
Messi dependent
A year ago whilst Messi was sidelined for two months by knee ligament damage, Neymar and Suarez not only ensured Barca didn’t lose ground in the title race, but accelerated past Madrid at the top of the table.
Twelve months on and Barca’s Messi-dependence has reemerged with the Argentine scoring 10 of Barca’s last 14 goals.
Suarez has scored just once in his last five outings, whilst Neymar hasn’t scored from open play in La Liga since September.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
Great news. You will always be a legend to us no matter what happens.
This is the news we’ve been waiting on – and I like it that it’s just one more year. Talented young squad (more than 92) – best full forward line and v strong through the middle – definite chance to redeem themselves with the messiah at then helm!
Donegal for Sam 2014
Excellent manager. Good news for donegal fans. I think they could come back and win big next year.
After that 2011 semi final against Dublin that finished 8-6 he should have been banned from ever managing a football team again.
But he wasn’t, and he went on to win an All-Ireland, with the team racking up 17 points
Donegal were an average football team until Jim was appointed manager, before his arrival there were rumours of disunion among the players and lack of discipline. James McGuinness instilled a sense of confidence and respect for the management team and the players have bought into his style of play and therefore deserves the extra year and I presume he has the backing of all the players.
Jim mcguinness was the brain behind one of the most successful turnarounds ever achieved in sport from a county that has one of the highest emigration levels in the country
Here here! Legendary status – he confirmed the existing talent and brought us to the promised land – with style and controlled displays which I’ve yet to see. Only Mayo so far this season have matched the control they exhibited. They didn’t get RTE team of the year 2012 for no reason. Murphy to lift Sam 2014!
Legendary status? Maybe in Donegal. But in Ireland as a whole, he’s a long way to go before he could be mentioned in the same breath as Micko, Heffo or even Mickey Harte.
What he accomplished in 2 years was mesmerising. He’s handled the media brilliantly and brought belief to the team. Young All-Ireland winning talent should keep them in with a chance for next few years. He’s been a gentleman and against all the nay-sayers from “11 he’s proved everyone wrong.
The football they played last year was so exciting but if he does stay on I reckon he’ll change their gameplan yet again – too hard on players the current style.
I genuinely would be shocked if they made the semi finals next year. No young talent coming through whatsoever
No squad depth either
Many in the squad have been playing Under 21 in the last couple of years, some even played this year, how young do you want the players to be when they break into the senior squad, twelve year olds.
As for strength in depth, practically every team with a chance of winning the Sam goes through the championship season with a core squad of about eighteen players if they are lucky and that includes Dublin, Tyrone, Kerry and Mayo this year, they might have squads of forty, four hundred or four thousand, but it is that core that the manager is depending on.
Every one else there is trying to impress for the following year or just making up the numbers.
Strength in depth matters for sports where the teams play dozens of games over a season that lasts three quarters of the year.
For a season that is as short as the GAA championships, what managers need is to have the core squad consistently available and performing at the top of their game.
When the injuries build up and when fatigue sets in, every manager is in the lap of the gods, none have a clue what depth they have, there aren’t the games for the players to show their mettle.
If McGuinness leaves it will be a loss for the GAA. Celtic F.C. don’t sign coaches up for the craic. Donegal had a tough time with injuries this year, they’ll be hard bet the next one
Looking at how celtic is doing so far this season, i dont blame him.
To be fair its not like he is managing the team and lookin after transfers etc.
From what I hear he is working mostly with the under age teams.
How dose one All Ireland make him a legend he is not Heffo or Micko or even Micky. He is no legend just lucky for one year now all Donegal fans can go back and stay in the hills
Ah David but we are not talking about Kerry or Dublin here where anything other than an All Ireland would be considered a failure. You are talking about a county that won 2 All Ireland titles.
If some body told me 4 years ago that Donegal would win the All Ireland in 2012 I would have told them they were mad. This man(whether you agree with his teams football philosophy or not) installed belief and passion into a group of lads who were a below average inter county team and in two years they were All Ireland champions is amazing.
Thats a very impressive achievement.
If they win it again that would be impressive but don’t get all the hype from Donegal fans and the press as I said he is no legend
Best tribute to him is that people hate him so much. He scared the establishment with the frightening pace and skill displayed in the counter-attacking game. It makes football v interesting in a tactical sense – now coaches have an even greater role.
Only 1 Jim winning matches and silverware the next few years and that’s Jim Gavin. Up the Dubs
FFS, you know Pro Dublin GAA comments are red thumbed to f*ck on here
Ye know yerself, it’s us against the 31. Just how we like it!! Áth Cliath abú.
Hill 16 is Dublin only.
Jim will fix it
So I taught jimmy had 5 year plan for donegal ,yet on a 4 year deal ffs only in Ireland
What about boozing players never mind injuries ?
Spot on Richie. The red thumbs obviously don’t realise what they were up to and how players turned on other players due to excessive drinking
Word is they went on a three month bender.
Always said donegal are very average team bar 4-5 very good players I.e. Murphy etc,a great coach well organized team! i for one would be massively shocked if they reached semis next year
He is a damn good football manager but he has won only 1 All Ireland and the following year gets hammered by the team they beat in that All Ireland so untill he gets the chance to do what Mick O’Dwyer and Brian Cody have done in management we should stand back and have a think about making such a big thing of whether he stays or goes!
Jimmy could do with 15 new players as they should no hart at all this year ..
Contacts? So much for the amateur sport.
not sure what all the fuss is about he should leave and get a new man in ,time for a change