Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of FC Barcelona ahead of the 2018/19 season
FC Barcelona have probably been the best domestic side since Pep Guardiola revolutionized football in 2008. They have won the La Liga in seven out of the last ten years as well as six Copa del Reys, with the last four coming on the trot.
Although the likes of Bayern, Juventus and Paris Saint Germain regularly dominate their leagues, but due to the lack of genuine challengers, winning these leagues is not considered anything special.
However, what's so special about Barcelona's dominance is that they face genuine competition from the likes of Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. The Los Blancos are the winners of four of the last five Champions League titles whereas the Rojiblancos are the reigning Europa League champions.
This time though, the Blauragnas would look to challenge in Europe having been knocked out in the quarterfinal stage three times in a row. Winning the domestic doubles almost every year is no less than winning the UCL, but a treble is what the fans expect and Ernesto Valverde is certainly capable of bringing it to the beautiful city of Barcelona.
So in this article, we look at the strengths and weaknesses of the current Barcelona side and whether they are capable of delivering according to their potential:
Strengths:
#3 A strong defence
Barcelona's central defensive pair of Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti is probably one of the strongest in Europe. The Catalonians also have a great squad depth with the likes of Lenglet and Vermaelen providing backup. Both are quality defenders, especially the former who has recently been acquired from Sevilla for £32 million.
Coming to the fullback area, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba have been a level above most other fullback pairings. Roberto, who started out as a central midfielder, was converted to a right-back by Valverde and hasn't looked back since.
The Spanish international has provided consistent performances for the Blaugrana and always plays with a high intensity. His box to box style helps Barcelona and clearly adds a different dimension to their attack.
Well, this season, Semedo looks all set to make the RB position his own as according to Sport, Roberto could be played more in his preferred midfield position. Semedo, a Portuguese international is a rapid fullback who can cover vast amounts of area on the right-hand side. With the 2017/18 season being the settling period, one can fully expect the former Benfica man to fire on all cylinders this term.