Luis Enrique’s Barcelona are gearing up to face their first major test of this young season as they take on a Zlatan-less Paris Saint-Germain side away from home in the Champions League. Still yet to concede a single goal this season, Enrique has re-energized a Barca side that looked relatively tame and disinterested at times under Tata Martino last campaign.
Almost reminiscent of how Pep Guardiola’s tinkering transformed Messi from a winger into a centre-forward role, Enrique has drawn Messi back from the frontline into more of a traditional No 10 position. “Messi the provider” has worked wonders thus far, while still allowing him to continue his goalscoring prowess. The Argentine, who recently crossed the 400-goal milestone for Barca, currently leads La Liga with six assists so far. In midfield,
Ivan Rakitic has been a sensation, plugging the gaps when needed and showing his excellent passing range as well. His versatility on the pitch and tactical discipline has already proved to be a much better fit for the Barca midfield than the failed Cesc Fabregas experiment.
But the real changes have occurred in defense. Many fans raised an eyebrow when 30-year-old Jeremy Mathieu was purchased from Valencia for €20 million during the summer, but the Frenchman has been a revelation at the back, marshaling the troops and as well as playing brilliantly individually, his knowledge of La Liga making him a perfect cog in the Barca machine.
But as always as Messi goes Barca does, and their near perfect start to the season can be directly tethered to Lionel’s evolution as a player. Messi has turned from ruthless goalscorer to provider, his six assists already a testament to his change, the move itself likely a plan from Enrique in an effort to get Messi used to the position in anticipation of Luis Suarez’s return next month.
The move has freed up Neymar to play more centrally where he’s been much more effective than on the wings. Neymar is currently second in the La Liga goalscoring charts with six and the Brazilian has enjoyed the freedom that has come in a role he flourished in back at Santos.
Despite all of this Barca’s start critics are still somewhat skeptical of their early season form. Barcelona hasn’t exactly played the toughest opponents and their 0-0 draw against a young Malaga side a couple weeks ago showed there may still be some issues to be ironed out. This game should be an excellent barometer of just how far Barca has come in the past couple of months.
Though PSG haven’t started Ligue 1 in the best form, currently sitting in 4th place after eight games, they still boast a formidable attack, Zlatan or not. Barcelona’s pristine defensive record will be put under the microscope as the likes of Cavani, Lavezzi and Lucas give them a through examination.
