4 Barcelona players who have reduced the workload on Lionel Messi this season
When Neymar left Barcelona during the summer of 2017, it looked as if all was lost at the Nou Camp as the Catalan giants struggled to cope with the departure of the Brazilian which was highlighted by a 5-1 humiliation at the hands of Real Madrid during the Supercopa de Espana.
But then came a surge from the magical Lionel Messi who worked really hard and singlehandedly returned the Blaugrana to the top of their game. This was demonstrated by taking up the responsibility of firing the team in front of goal, dropping deep in midfield to orchestrate team play as well as improving the overall performance of the team.
Messi occupied a huge role in Barca's team last season. He was their best finisher, best creator, play orchestrator as well as the go-to-guy whenever the team needed extra inspiration and he was so good that Ernesto Valverde's men claimed a fantastic domestic double last term.
However, things have changed quite a bit this season. While Messi remains the undisputed superstar at the Nou Camp, the Argentine now has a number of fantastic superstars who are also sharing these responsibilities and the relieving the attacker of his immense workload. Below, we take a look at 4 of them:
#4 Jordi Alba
There aren't many left-backs across Europe's top 5 leagues at the moment who can claim to be at the same level as Spanish International, Jordi Alba - courtesy of his explosive performances on the left flank of Barcelona's defence since the beginning of the campaign.
The Spaniard has been a huge revelation on the left wing this season, with his electrifying pace, quick acceleration and incredible passing rendering him a threatening figure to opponents in the LaLiga and in Europe as well.
With his ability to penetrate opposition defences and link up perfectly with his teammates to create clear-cut goalscoring chances, Alba has been sharing the creative job with Lionel Messi this season and the duo have combined on multiple occasions to wreak havoc on opposing teams and lead the Blaugrana to important victories.