5 Barcelona players who underperformed against Atletico Madrid | La Liga 2021-22
We are almost two months into the latest La Liga season and Barcelona's woes continue. Their current state proves that the Catalan giants were indeed massively dependent on their former captain Lionel Messi.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona ๐ฟ
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Barcelona, who are undergoing a transition period, are probably enduring the worst period in the club's 121-year history. The dream team lost their star players in quick succession. Carles Puyol, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, among many others, are no longer at the club.
However, Messi's presence was enough for the club to deal with their senior players' departures. The Argentine successfully carried the club forward by teaming up with the newbies and the remaining players. However, his shocking departure last summer was the final nail in the coffin for the Blaugrana.
Barcelona are currently ninth in the Liga table. They are also bottom of their UCL group with 0 points and have achieved just one win from their last six games. And with the recent loss against Atletico Madrid, Barcelona have hit a new low. It was the third game in a row where the Catalan giants failed to score against Diego Simeone's men.
August 2020: Koeman told Luis Suarez he was too old to perform at the top level.
May 2021: Helps Atletico Madrid win their first La Liga title in seven years, finishing as their top scorer.
October 2021: Scores a goal, gets an assist and defeats Barcelona. https://t.co/m0Q6utmimC
On the same note, let's take a look at five Barcelona players who underperformed in their clash against Atletico Madrid.
#5 Philippe Coutinho
The Barcelona faithful have once again bestowed their best hopes upon Philippe Coutinho this season. Coutinho endured a below par first half, but the Brazilian bounced back to perform better in the second.
A switch in position helped him make the most of his game. However, his efforts weren't fruitful as Coutinho couldn't find the back of the net despite coming close on the hour mark.
Despite dropping into pockets and finding gaps, the 29-year-old wasn't of great benefit in the final third. Coutinho fired four attempts on towards goal but only one of them reached the target to be grasped by Jan Oblak.
#4 Memphis Depay
One cannot really blame Memphis Depay for underperforming. The Dutch striker is taking his time to fit into Leo Messi's shoes, which certainly isn't an easy job to do.
Depay was constantly on the ball and gave his everything for the team against Rojiblancos. However, he seemed to be a victim of Koeman's formation and tactical setup. Apart from a lack of support, Depay himself lacked creativity and his finishing touch during the match.
The same made it easy for Jose Maria Gimenez, who was marking the Dutchman throughout the game. Depay, who played for all 90 minutes, created two decent chances but registered only one shot which was off target.