Opinion: The reason why FC Barcelona will struggle this season
FC Barcelona are currently the LaLiga leaders, and they are also leading their UCL group. They are the first and only team to have qualified for the UCL knockout stage so far.
Despite leading their UCL group and the LaLiga table, Barcelona has failed to impress on the pitch. In fact, one can say it's the poor performances of other teams, rather than dominating performances by La Blaugrana which is the reason for their recent success.
FC Barcelona is leading the league with 24 points after the first 12 games. On the other hand, in the Premier League, Arsenal are fifth on the table with 24 points after 12 matches. At the moment, if these two teams were to play each other, I would fancy Arsenal to win.
Attack has not been a concern for Barcelona this season, as we've seen that they have managed to score goals easily even in the absence of Lionel Messi. Suarez has found his form, and Dembele was looking positive early on.
It seems Barcelona still has not been able to cope up with the departures of Iniesta and Xavi, because Barcelona has failed to dominate opponents in midfield on several occasions this season.
Coutinho has been inconsistent, and Rakitic's performances have been below average this season. Arthur has some potential, but is still not a regular. Barca's midfield has been caught off guard too many times this season.
Defence has definitely been the biggest issue for Barcelona this season. With Umtiti and Vermaelen injured, Pique and Lenglet have failed to hold off their opponents. While Pique has been the heart of the defence, even he knows that he's not that quick fearless defender he used to be.
Barcelona have too often left lots of space in their own half, which has allowed opponents to cause trouble.
The only reason Barcelona are leading on the league table is because of Real Madrid's transition. Even though Los Blancos are 6th on the table, there is only a gap of 4 points between them. Even Atletico Madrid and Sevilla could catch them in no time.
I think Barcelona will consequently drop more points and lose their position in the domestic league. They'll also probably get knocked out in the UCL knockout stage like in previous years.
If they don't fix their problems with defence and midfield in the winter window, other teams will be quick to take advantage of their weaknesses.