Barcelona is not having a good run of form in La Liga as they are currently in the 12th position after six matches. Koeman’s side could capture only 5 points from the last 5 games which are not expected from a top team like Barca. Club captain and star player Lionel Messi is also having a bad stint having failed to score a single goal from open play.
Messi’s stint of bad form
The Argentine has hit four goals in this season, all of which came from the spot-kick. Koeman has relieved Messi from his creative duties with Coutinho and Pjanic developing goal scoring chances. The Dutch gaffer believes Barca lacks the finishing at the end of the attack as there is no proper number nine in the first-team squad.
Ronald Koeman took many important decisions in building the squad during the summer transfer break but failed to bring in a replacement for Luis Suarez who had scored 198 goals in his six-years tenure. Memphis Depay was supposed to arrive at Camp Nou on the deadline day from Olympique Lyonnais but La Liga rejected the move on basis of salary caps. This failed transfer move put Barcelona in a tough spot as the consequences are evident.
Lionel Messi could not control his anger against the referee at Alaves
In Barcelona’s last game, they drew against Alaves away from home even though their opponents were a man down by the 62nd minute. The six-time Balon D’or winner escaped a straight as he kicked the ball at the referee out of frustration. Former referee Juan Andujar Oliver said to a local radio station via Marca that Messi should have been awarded a red instead of a yellow for committing such an act on the pitch. Leo was unhappy as the referee did not give a penalty as well as a freekick at the edge of the box during their match against Deportivo Alaves.
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Barcelona did start the season on a good note but Koeman’s side is not continuing their great form with unexpected results in the Spanish top tier. They are already 9 points behind league leaders Real Sociedad and 8 behind rivals Real Madrid. The Catalan outfit needs to step up immediately as they have already gone a season without any silverware. Despite a winning form in the Champions League, they need to deliver good football in La Liga as well.
