3 problems Barcelona must address if they are to triumph in the Champions League
Barcelona is one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, with the calibre of players available and illustrious history making it a requisite for the club to compete favourably for all trophies on display.
It goes without saying that the club is one of the most successful of all time, while they are the only club to have won two trebles, and also the record Copa del Rey winners.
Up till this point, the Blaugrana have had an almost flawless season and as such are one of a few clubs still in the running to win a treble this term.
LaLiga and the Copa del Rey might be all but foregone conclusions owing to their 10-point gap and superiority over their final opponents respectively, however it is in the Champions League where a number of obstacles lie.
Barcelona have been paired against a resurgent Manchester United in the last eight of the UCL and even though they enter the tie as rank favourites, the Catalans would do well to keep their optimism in check.
While taking nothing away from Barcelona's brilliance in maintaining their assault on all competitions, it is pertinent to note that the club has not been overly spectacular and have some few weaknesses which other clubs could exploit in Europe.
Given that the Champions League is the one trophy that Barcelona set their eyes on right from the start, it is of utmost importance that Ernesto Valverde addresses these lingering issues.
In this piece, we shall be highlighting three problems that Barcelona must address if they are to triumph in the Champions League.
#3 Coutinho's dip in form
It is no hidden secret that Coutinho has suffered from an alarming drop in form throughout the course of this season.
The 26-year-old had arrived Barcelona in January 2018 as the club's record signing and it was expected that he would be the immediate and long-term heir to Iniesta at the club.
However, despite starting his Barcelona career rather impressively with 10 goals and five assists from just 22 matches in his first five months to help Barcelona to a double, this season has been nothing short of shambolic.
So far this campaign, the Brazilian international has scored just four goals and registered two assists from 28 LaLiga matches which is a rather poor return for a player of his calibre and the huge amount expended to sign him.
Coutinho has been one of the most disappointing players for Barcelona this season, and his struggles have seen him dropped out of the starting 11 on occasion. While it has been suggested that he might be on his way out of the club with Manchester United and PSG rumoured to be interested.
Barcelona is entering the home run of the season where optimum concentration and peak performance levels are required from all of their players.
Coutinho is one of Barcelona's chief attacking threats and his importance is further aggrandized due to Dembele's persistent injury problems and as such, Valverde must find a way to rekindle the creative spark in Coutinho with few matches of the season left.
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