One of the most overlooked aspects of Lionel Messi’s dominance over the years has been his ability to stay in healthy and in the Barcelona lineup. So it was no surprise when word of his injury came across, it stunning news to the soccer world. Messi suffered a ligament tear in his left knee in a 2-1 win over Las Palmas and will be sidelined for seven-to-eight weeks as a result. The initial shock of the injury has passed for the majority of soccer fans and now the focus shifts to the most important question left: who will step up for Barcelona in Messi’s absence?
No one player can bring to Barcelona what Messi was able to but there is more than enough talent on that roster to survive both at home in La Liga and in the Champions League as long as the remaining players respond. Here is a look at four players in particular that absolutely must step up for Barcelona with Messi sidelined.
Munir El-Haddadi
One of the biggest reasons why Barcelona felt comfortable moving Pedro in the offseason was the emergence of the 20-year-old phenom Haddadi and their belief that he was ready for a much bigger role with the club this season. The fact that Barcelona is as stacked as it is up front obviously limited Haddadi’s exposure but with Messi out, there is a chance for him to step up and make a name for himself.
There has been a lot of talk about the exceptional talent that Munir possesses and while he started last season as a key contributor up front for Luis Enrique, that run ended when Luis Suarez returned from suspension and took back his spot in the starting XI. It has been a long road back for Munir but he finally gets another major opportunity with Messi out. With a strong supporting cast, now is the time where he must prove his true worth to Barcelona as one of the game’s future stars.
Luis Suarez
The most obvious candidate to step up for Barcelona in Messi’s absence is Suarez, who will be relied on even more for his finishing ability up front. Suarez wasted little time getting to work in his first year with the Catalan club last season when he scored 30 goals with 31 assists in only 46 total games, including 16 goals in La Liga and another seven in the Champions League. Munir is most likely to take Messi’s spot in the starting XI but there will be even more pressure on the veteran Suarez to deliver goals up front.
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Neymar
Speaking of veteran players that will be called on to step up, there is no denying Neymar’s importance to the Barcelona attack. It will be even more important now that Messi has been sidelined. Neymar is the type of elite striker that can dominate with the ball on his feet and his finishing ability will be just as important as his creativity and touch with Messi out for the next few weeks. As a team, Barcelona has scored 11 goals in six games so far this season, so it’s not as if it’s all Messi. However, Neymar is one of the guys that will have to do more with Messi out.
Ivan Rakitic
The striker trio of Munir, Suarez and Neymar will have to shoulder the majority of the load up front but don’t sleep on Rakitic as a player that can have an even bigger impact now. Rakitic is an elite playmaker that also has the ability to finish in the attacking third and Messi’s injury will only make him that much more important to the attack. Rakitic has done the majority of his work setting up teammates this season with only four shots on target through five games, but that number will almost certainly improve as he takes on a bigger role for Barcelona now that Messi has been sidelined.
