La Liga 2018/19: What does Messi's injury mean to FC Barcelona
Lionel Messi broke a bone in his right arm against Sevilla. He is expected to be on the sidelines for at least 3 weeks.
Let's see how this injury affects FC Barcelona.
It means Barcelona needs to step up as a team, and show that they can cope without their talismanic player. Barcelona is already looking very weak defensively. Umtiti and Vermaelen both are injured, and now Messi is also out of the picture. It is the time for other players to shine and rise to the occasion.
Malcom more than likely will get a chance to showcase his potential. Dembele has been far from consistent. The Brazilian is a natural right wing player and his performance during the upcoming weeks can really cement his place in the squad.
We will also get to see a glimpse of life without Messi.
Meaning we will see how Barcelona handles the situation psychologically, and performs in crucial fixtures like El Clasico, and the match against Inter Milan in the Champions League.
It will be difficult to guess how Barcelona would line up without their commander in chief. At Barcelona, everything revolves around Messi. The attack goes through him. He is the creative force, playmaker, captain, and their saviour.
It will also affect the opposition's plans. It means they may expect a surprise as you don't know how Barcelona will play without Messi which means more sleepless nights for Valverde. These three weeks will surely reflect on Valverde's ability as a coach.
Last year Barcelona lost the only match Messi did not start in La Liga. Messi and Ter Stegen single-handedly won Barcelona the league and when Messi had the off day, Barcelona had the off day too.
It also means this will be the first El Clasico Messi will completely miss since 23 December 2007, a 1-0 loss. Better yet, it will be the first El Clasico without Ronaldo and Messi since 2009.
This will be a perfect opportunity for Suarez to lead the attack from the front in absence of Messi. Messi is the main creative force but as the last match against Sevilla suggested Suarez can pretty much take that play-maker, creator role if needed.
We may also see the current La Liga holders try Coutinho as number 10 since Messi, the regular number 10 is out. Coutinho has played number 10 at Liverpool, and he can do that for Barcelona as well.
When Messi is on the pitch, he makes an average player look good, and it will be a perfect opportunity for everybody to see whether players like Dembele, who were bought for huge transfer fees, can step up and justify their price tag.
The Catalan club are lucky with how things turned out because this injury situation could have been worse. It's an arm injury which won't have a serious/significant impact on his longevity as a player as a leg injury at this stage of his footballing career can.