Last season was a bittersweet one for Barcelona. While the Catalan giants retained the La Liga title, they witnessed a catastrophic end to their campaign, throwing away another three-goal lead in the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool before losing the Copa del Rey final against a mediocre Valencia side.
The Blaugrana will be looking to put things right this season; hoping to hold off a rejuvenated Real Madrid side once again. Silverware in Europe will also be a major target for Barca this season as Champions League glory has eluded them since the past four years.
Barcelona strengthened their squad this transfer window by bringing in the likes of Frenkie De Jong and Antoinne Griezmann and reports suggest they are still in the market for more talent to add to an already star-studded squad.
The left-footed magician Lionel Messi will once again have to be the catalyst for Barcelona’s success in their quest for silverware but honestly, how much can one man do on his own? He will need ample support from his teammates if Barca has to win some serious honours this season.
On that note, let us look at the 3 players apart from Messi, who will be vital for shaping up the season for Barcelona.
1) Ousmane Dembele
The prolific French youngster is brimming with potential of unimaginable depths and his performance last season where even though he was troubled with injuries for most parts, he managed to net a total of 14 goals, speaks on his behalf. Barca will hope that Dembele will come into his own this season and have a massive impact on the team, just like Neymar did a few seasons ago at the club.
2) Frenkie de Jong
The Dutch youngster signed by Barcelona from Ajax earlier in the year is so good he could be their own Toni Kroos. Frenkie fits in with ease in any midfield position and can play both defensive and attacking football in the middle of the park as per the requirements of the team.
He is already being touted as the successor to the likes of legends Xavi and Iniesta and will have to fit into their shoes sooner rather than later. He will most likely be handed the task of complementing Arthur and bringing back the famous tiki-taka style of play, domineering games in the midfield.
3) Antoine Griezmann
Barca’s new marquee signing for the season has a lot to prove if he has to justify his out worldly transfer fee and he certainly has the talent to do so.
Griezmann comes with the promise of scoring goals aplenty for Valverde’s side but his inventiveness, football intellect and work rate could prove even more useful than the goals, especially in the Champions League, which Barca will be eyeing the most as they have been trying and failing since 2015.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored
