Barcelona have struggled defensively over the last few weeks with the club struggling to find the right combination, despite adding Clement Lenglet during the summer.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde won a league double in his debut season with the club, despite losing superstar Neymar to PSG. While they did struggle in the early stages of the season, the La Liga giants picked up the pace and didn’t let go until the very end, finishing their domestic campaign with just one loss and a massive gap between them and second place Atletico Madrid.
However, this season, things are different with the club on a three-game winless run in the league, losing one and drawing two. Despite this, they still sit atop the La Liga table with 14 points, but while Real Madrid is level on points, it’s only the goal-difference that separates the two lifelong rivials in Spain’s top tier.
Sevilla, who beat Real Madrid 3-0 recently and Atletico Madrid who were held Julen Lopetegui and his men to a draw sit close behind with 13 and 12 points respectively. This has made Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi very worried about his squad, with the Argentine urging the club and even Valverde to bring in new defensive signings over the winter transfer window.
According to reports from Don Balon, the 31-year-old wants both Kaldiou Koulibaly and Milan Skrinar at the club and is pushing for a move for both the centre-back superstars. Gerard Pique’s ageing legs have been cause for trouble over the last few weeks, while both Koulibaly and Skrinar have been in great form for their sides.
Barcelona have been linked earlier with a move for Inter Milan star Milan Skrinar despite interest from Real Madrid and Manchester United, with Koulibaly on the other hand, targeted by the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and once again Real Madrid.
Author’s take:
The club needs to keep faith in the stars they have at the club, with Clement Lenglet taking time to adjust but if there is one thing they need, it’s another central defender. Barcelona only have Thomas Vermaelen and Clement Lenglet as back-ups with the Belgian star very unreliable and Lenglet still adjusting. Gerard Pique on the other hand, will only get worse as time passes on and with Samuel Umtiti’s constant knee issues, things could get complicated in the tail end of the season.
