Real Sociedad to plunge Barça further in crisis
Crisis club Barcelona get their competitive season underway with the visit of Real Sociedad to Camp Nou in La Liga. Millions of column inches have been devoted in the past few months to the ongoing fallout from the decision by the competition organisers to severely restrict the wage ball at the Spanish giants, to such an extent that living legend Leo Messi, perhaps the best male player of all time, has had to cut short his stay in Catalonia, which many observers believed would mean his seeing out his career there. Instead, he has departed to Paris Saint-Germain, and his old love are still not able at the time of writing to even register their summer signings. Read our preview here:
A right old Messi
Though the situation is fluid, there is now a growing belief that the club won't be able to register any of their purchases in time for the weekend at the very least. Indeed, with former Manchester City hitman Sergio 'Kun' Agüero now out for at least 10 weeks with a calf strain, there's a strong possibility he'll never actually play for Blaugrana. Even Memphis Depay, signed on a free from Lyon, is certain to miss out as returning president Joan Laporta and the rest of the board desperately try to offload fringe players on high wages in a global market drastically affected by Covid. This has meant that few clubs are capable, regardless of willing, to take on any of the listed individuals, and makes predicting the starting lineup for the first home game of the campaign nigh-on possible. As well as the aforementioned individuals that literally can't play, the likes of erratic striker Ousmane Dembélé, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, centre-backs Óscar Mingueza and Clement Lenglet, and superstars Ansu Fati and Frenkie de Jong are all out, too. The untouchable Pedri, 'fresh' from a ridiculous number of matches across domestic, continental, and two international tournaments without break, has been rushed back into contention. His talent and desire to play are both undeniable, as is the folly of the club risking mental and physical burnout at just 18 years old.
Crack Isak
Things under head coach Imanol Alguacil have been utterly serene by comparison. Having finished fifth last year and as a consequence qualified directly to the group stage of the Europa League, only small tinkering around the squad has been necessary as Los Txuri-Urdin look to go at least one better in both league and cup in 2021/2022. Almost all of their biggest performers are still in situ, including talismanic Swedish striker Alexander Isak. Although the former Borussia Dortmund target man didn't notch at Euro 2020, he still impressed neutral onlookers in flashes with his first touch and positive play. It remains to be seen exactly who'll be given the task of marking him out of the game at a 70% full Camp Nou on Sunday evening, but regardless of their identity, they'll have their hands full. Mikel Merino and David Silva will still pull all the strings behind him, and the trio are as effective as any in Spain outside the 'big three'.
Beleagured in La Liga
Naturally, off-field events will have had, and continue to have, a huge impact at Barcelona for potentially years to come. Even now, there's a sense of desperation when trying to sell some of the roster, many of whom ironically will be in the matchday XI for the opener. Chief amongst them is Antoine Griezmann - whilst few would dispute the French forward is one of the very best in his role, even he hasn't avoided the bizarre transfer merry-go-round, which only further undermines his and others' performances. betway have odds of 4.33 for a Real Sociedad win, and that looks ridiculously long, given the circumstances.
