The NEAAAT Times
In his total time of absence, which is almost over, the team has looked somewhat shaky. The reason is, other teams are more confident playing Barcelona knowing its best man is nowhere to be seen. Since losing Messi, teams have looked far more committed to attacking Blaugrana head on. Just witness how Sevilla attacked with wild abandon, allowing for a wide open counter attacking battle that could have gone either way for both teams. Bayer Leverkusen did the same exact thing in its contact, pressuring Barcelona in the midfield and launching quick strikes.
On the other end of the pitch, Barcelona has countered with 14 goals in 9 games; shockingly the team had not been that much better with Messi in the lineup to this point though there are some major ingredients that he brings that have been sorely lacking for Blaugrana.
Messi is undeniably the best dribbler in the world. The stats say it. The eye test says it. When he has the ball he forces defenders to take one of two decisions: Attack him and risk being dangled about by him or sit back and give him a chance to make a pass or go right at them anyways. Messi can do either, and oftentimes he has no trouble dribbling past one player without difficulty. So that requires the team to sit back and have another man waiting to provide reinforcements. Since Messi can take on two or even three men with a dribble (sometimes even five), the entire defense is forced to sit back and wait for him.
Without Messi, Barcelona has no one with that level of skill. Neymar is as close as it comes, but he still falls short of Messi (Messi averages 6.5 dribbles per game while Neymar only gets 4.5 this season).
Goal scoring has been a problem for Messi in 2015-16 as he had just six through nine tilts prior to getting injured. Despite missing a number of games so far, he is in second for the team lead with Luis Suarez who has eleven goals.
The two superstars have done a decent job of filling in for Messi, combining on seven of the 14 Barcelona goals scored since Messi's injury. Neymar leads the team in key passes per game, emphasizing a strong pass first mentality from the winger. A three-game sample is rather small, and the games that follow the international break will surely reveal more about how much this team can play without its superstars.
Messi, is one of the greatest chances Barcelona has to win, but without him, the team has struggled despite the winning streak of three. Neymar, a good player, but not the same level as Messi. Barcelona will miss Messi for the amount of time that he will be out and recovering. For all of the Barcelona fans out there, I wish my best for the team.
For all of the soccer fans here is an article on a player who almost everyone knows. Lionel Messi, the FC Barcelona star Striker and Argentina International team star striker. Messi is the number one scorer in the world. He is also the most popular player in the world.
It has not been a great year for Barcelona. Despite winning the treble a season ago, the team has struggled in the early going, already accruing three defeats in all competitions this season; the team has also had two draws in all competitions and is out of first place in the Spanish League.
The team's shaky start has only been result of injuries and none more crucial than the loss of Lionel Messi. He is undeniably, at this moment, the most effective offensive player in the game, capable of coming off the bench and changing a game with one touch (just ask Atletico Madrid).