In Messi’s absence, Barca look for inspiration Red Star battle fixing charges ahead of Liverpool match
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE With Argentinean out, it will be a chance for Coutinho, Dembele to impress BARCELONA:
Barcelona’s lowest ebbs are invariably followed by questions about Lionel Messi but the issue of over-reliance may become clearer over the coming weeks.
The sight of Messi on the ground, grasping his right arm, during Barca’s win over Sevilla on Saturday prompted reactions inside Camp Nou normally reserved for the conceding of goals. Hands behind heads, fingers over mouths, the concern became real shortly after the final whistle when the club confirmed Messi had fractured his bone.
His absence leaves Barca vulnerable when they need him most, for a run of fixtures that includes Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday, the Clasico against Real Madrid on Sunday, before a return match against Inter in Italy at the start of next month. If he takes longer than expected to recover, he could miss tricky games against Real Betis and Atletico Madrid in La Liga too.
Barcelona have grown used to accusations of dependence, not least when results have taken a turn for the worse.
There is no team in the world that would not look worse with Messi extracted.
As Real Madrid are proving in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, a striker’s goals are difficult to replace but so too is the aura.
“Emotionally we know when Messi is there he gives us more confidence because he is the best in the world,” Pique said.
On Monday, Marca listed six options in a casting for replacements — Ousmane Dembele, Rafinha, Munir El Haddadi, Malcom, Carles Alena and Sergi Roberto. Alena, the 20-year-old midfielder, is an exciting talent, while Malcom, only a year older, scored 12 goals for Bordeaux last season. But Dembele is the most obvious. Messi’s position on the right of the front three is where he is most comfortable, rather than off the left, where the 21-year-old has often been made to adapt so far.
After a debut season blighted by injuries, Dembele started the first six games of this one, scoring five goals. But doubts remain about him in big games. French winger Ousmane Dembele (left) is likely to fill in for Messi against Inter. After a debut season last year blighted with injuries, Dembele started the first six games of this campaign, scoring five goals.
But still, a shadow of doubt remains over the 20-year-old’s decision making. Dembele’s over eagerness to do too much himself can be punished by the opposition on counters when he loses the ball in attacking positions. He will have to show that he can adapt and learn to be more of a team player. While Messi has scored a lot of goals for them, the Argentine also has been the creative force behind Barcelona’s successful UCL outings so far. After Andres Iniesta’s exit, Messi has moved to a more central and deeper position, orchestrating moves and opening spaces.
With Messi sidelined, Ivan Rakitic (in pic) and Arthur will have to do that job. Messi’s link-up play with Jordi Alba was pivotal in the win over Tottenham; the Spaniard providing three assists. The two midfielders will have to find a way to get their left-back involved. Under Jose Mourinho’s guidance, Inter had knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League in the semi-finals in 2010. Barcelona will be looking to avenge that loss to the Italain side, who are coming off a reassuring win against AC Milan in the Milan derby.
ICARDI THREAT
Brazilian Philippe Coutinho played for Inter between 2010 and 2013, making 47 appearances before moving to Liverpool. But there will be no time for any sentiments because Coutinho will be the home side’s biggest threat. The winger certainly has it in him to deliver and will be keen on making his mark considering his inability to play half of the UCL last season due to his transfer. He will have to link-up with his former Liverpool teammate Luis Suarez, as the two look like Barca’s main weapons. Barca won Matches Drawn Inter won In Messi’s absence, another Argentine will be looking to take centre stage at the Camp Nou. Mauro Icardi (left) has been in sensational form over the last two years for Inter. He scored a last-minute header to give Inter the lead in the derby on the weekend and has netted six times in all competitions so far.
The forward’s exclusion from Argentina’s World Cup squad to Russia, despite scoring 29 goals for Inter last term, will be playing on his mind. He will be eager to prove himself. Barcelona’s biggest problem this term has been their backline. In nine league matches, they have already let in 11 goals as opposed to the 29 they conceded in the whole of last season.
Gerard Pique has been clumsy on several occasions and looks like a shadow of himself. With his central defensive partner and World Cup winner with France, Samuel Umtiti doubtful, compatriot Clement Lenglet will have to step in. Lenglet has adapted well but still lacks the experience and comfort in passing the ball out.
FORM GUIDE
Barca: Inter:
UCL RESULTS SO FAR
Beat PSV 4-0 at home Beat Tottenham 4-2 away
Beat Tottenham 2-1 at home Beat PSV 2-1 away
Red Star Belgrade, embroiled in a match-fixing scandal, have erected a wall of silence around the Rajko Mitic Stadium ahead of their clash with Liverpool on Wednesday.
The trip to Anfield should have been a celebration for the team, 27 years after they won the European Cup, the first and last triumph in the competition for a club from the former Yugoslavia.
But now the match has been overshadowed by suspicion following the announcement that French investigators are probing allegations of match-fixing in the club’s 6-1 thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain in their last Champions League group-stage outing on October 3.
The probe was launched after French sports daily L’Equipe alleged that a senior Red Star official bet €5 million on the side losing by a five-goal margin to the French champions. The claims upset many Serbs including Predrag Saric, editor-in-chief of the Sportski Zurnal daily paper.
“Serbs are the ideal culprits. No one has read yet that the investigation had actually started, but they are already condemned,” Saric told Serbian state-run television channel RTS.
BELGRADE:
He was also surprised that “in the age of modern technology, everything is not yet clear”.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, a long-time Red Star supporter, said he was “very sceptical” regarding the allegations. “I think that the greatest part of what they are talking about is not true,” he told reporters.
After releasing two statements in which they urged a rapid investigation and threatened action against L’Equipe for defamation, the club have fallen silent. Red Star president and Serbian football great Dragan Dzajic hasn’t been answering his mobile phone.
Sports analyst Mihajlo Todic said the betting allegations looked far-fetched. He doubted a bookmaker could accept a fivemillion-euro bet on something which was “blatant”, referring to the high probability that Red Star would be heavily beaten by one of Europe’s elite clubs.
Todic said “match-fixing would have required participation of PSG”, an accusation dismissed out of hand by the French club. Independent Vreme weekly pointed to a record of previous corruption in sport in Serbia.
“Match-fixing and money laundering sound familiar in Serbia,” it commented.