“He always spoil the attack”, “Xavi seek help I beg” – Barcelona fans furious with "boring" player being named in starting XI for game against Elche

Barcelona fans were left displeased with Memphis Depay's inclusion in the starting XI for their La Liga clash against Elche on September 17 at the Camp Nou.

This will be Depay's second appearance this season in all competitions and first in La Liga. He is yet to make a goal contribution.

The Dutchman's future at the club was under speculation in the summer transfer window but he eventually announced his decision to stay at Barcelona.

Depay, 27, joined the Blaugrana from Olympique Lyon last season, scoring 13 goals and providing two assists in 38 matches. However, Robert Lewandowski's arrival from Bayern Munich has seen his playing time reduced this season.

The Dutch striker will start alongside Lewandowski and Ousmane Dembele in the attack against Elche. Franck Kessie, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri form the three-man midfield.

Alejandro Balde, Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde and Eric Garcia will man the defense in front of Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the Catalans.

However, Barcelona fans weren't pleased with Depay's inclusion in the starting lineup and took to Twitter to share their disappointment. Here are some of their reactions:

@barcacentre Can’t believe I woke up this early to watch Memphis start

@NealGardner_ Memphis shouldn't play. he always spoil the attack or slow the attack. such a boring player.

@fcbManii Why are we starting memphis in 2022?

Memphis twitter.com/fcbarcelona/st… https://t.co/PLnR65MnXa

starting memphis ahead of ansu… xavi seek help i beg twitter.com/fcbarcelona/st…

@FCBarcelona Ew, Memphis

MEMPHIS IN
TV OFF twitter.com/fcbarcelona/st…

Please start Ansu sir @Xavier 😭 I do NOT wanna see Memphis twitter.com/fcbarcelona/st…

Barcelona go into the match on the back of a disappointing 2-0 loss against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League. Xavi's men created multiple chances to score but were wasteful in front of goal.

In La Liga, meanwhile, they are in second place and are still unbeaten. They have won four and drawn one of their five matches so far. They could go into first place above Real Madrid if they win against Elche before Los Blancos take on Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Xavi provides update on Barcelona forward Ansu Fati's fitness

While many Barcelona fans expected Ansu Fati to start against Elche, they were disappointed to see Depay in the lineup instead. However, manager Xavi explained ahead of the match the need to manage Fati's playing time as he is still not 100% fit.

He said (via Sports Mole):

"Ansu is fine. He's a great player and he makes the difference when he comes on. It's important to us. We may be expecting a little more intensity during the match. But he is gradually coming back, and he understands that is he coming out of a difficult situation."

He added:

"I will decide [about Ansu]. You have to be prudent. Last year, we were maybe too rash with the decision, and it was a problem."

Fati, 19, has had to deal with various injury issues in his short career but has started the season well. He has contributed two goals and two assists in seven matches across all competitions.