Neymar? A Powerhouse Front Quadruple?: How About The Midfield Trio Barca Really Needed

        

        It was beautiful: due to a litany of injuries, Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde threw on the right XI AND because of this, Barcelona obliterated an opponent in another commanding 5-2 display at the Camp Nou. 
        The headlines will all be about 16 year old La Masia educated Ansu Fati scoring an illustrious goal and delivering an extremely sick assist within only 7 minutes of his first Barcelona start, as it should well be. The kid is fantastic, a true specimen that is only climbing ever higher and may deserve a start on Tuesday. 
        But the real meat of the story is the Barca midfield. 


        The midfield trio of Busquets, De Jong and Arthur passed and pressed with equal flair, beauty and finesse, gaining confidence by the touch. It's obvious how ludicrous the Barca fans who criticised Sergio Busquets are and were after the masterclass he performed today, reminding the clueless FIFA20 fan how a midfield is run. 
         Busquets isn't an engager, a box to box midfielder or a Sami Khedira circa 2010 bulldozer, he's a controlling organizer who orchestrates the tempo. Yet when freed up in midfield by two smart interiors (before with Xavi and Iniesta, and now Frenkie & Arthur) who understand spacing, how to time runs in-behind and who can possess the ball with a calculus of forward intent, Busi suddenly becomes faster, more agile, more aggressive and we witness Busquets define the rules of engagement, pressing high fearlessly as Arthur and Frenkie cover in behind.
        The master of puppets instilled the tempo from the first moments against Valencia, just like against Betis and from this, the gusto of Frenkie De Jong created the first two brilliant goals in only 7 minutes...killing Valencia's spirit one more time after their beloved manager Marcelinho was ruthlessly sacked this week. 
       The Barca passing became ponderous and control waned only once Valverde issued his substitutions of Arturo Vidal and the much-maligned Ivan Rakitic, though the mark had been made. Valverde, to his credit, rested a key man ahead of an important match when he pulled off Frenkie De Jong).
        There are areas in this team that could be exposed by Borussia Dortmund's devastating counter attacking prowess. However if we can operate as a midfield like this against Lucien Favre's men, starving their ball-hungry, crafty trio led by Axel Witsel, we can halt the momentum of Reus, Sancho and the revenge-seeking / confounding goal-machine Paco Alcacer.
         Without the ominous presence of Lionel Messi to consistently occupy half of the Dortmund XI, we'll have to secure possession in all areas of the pitch, remain patient and continuously penetrate / attack to keep Dortmund's dangerous fullbacks pinned deep.
        If we can't win the ball back fast enough due to a midfield of Rakitic, Busquets and Vidal or Valverde starts Roberto at right back or right forward, the sloppiness that pervaded the end of the matches vs Betis & Valencia will happen to a horrifying (and once again embarrassing) degree in the Champions League:
        Despite Ter Stegen pulling off a variety of saves, the back four failed to keep a clean sheet, Barcelona conceding yet another early goal at the back and a sloppy late one, just as we did even when dictating terms against Betis. 
        We also saw left center back  Clement Lenglet falling to the floor in a heap of painful agony for the third consecutive La Liga match, this time after a dangerous stomp on his Achilles.
        We're beginning to wonder if Todibo could at least be rotated after the Dortmund game to give the in-demand French international a breather, lest he become yet another world class though continuously injured Frenchman (see the Samuel Umtiti tragedy).
       Small worries, but keeping clean sheets has been a consistent recipe for Barcelona success. In fact, 2019/2020 is the first season since 2012/2013 that Barcelona haven't kept multiple clean sheets in the first few matches in La Liga and it could turn into the first season Barcelona hasn't kept a clean sheet in the first five matches since the early 2000s. 
        Keeping Tuesday in mind, we've also kept a clean sheet in 4 of the last 5 Champions League debuts, including 3 straight (Celtic, Juventus, PSV).
        I know a 5-2 result appears faultless, but a 5-2 vs Valencia could equal a 3-2 loss to an incredible and ambitious Dortmund side. 
         Hopefully with a filthy midfield trio now established, a returning and scoring Luis Suarez, an always mobile / frequently effective Griezmann and Valverde finally (maybe, hopefully, kinda) getting it, Barcelona should be able to get a good result on Tuesday in the highly anticipated encounter vs Dortmund.