History dictates that Barcelona must always be thought of as title challengers in Spain, but they could end up 12 points away from the top of the league if they lose to Real Sociedad tonight.
Ronald Koeman’s arrival has seen some of the fringe players get chances after being written off last year, but they still look fragile and utterly reliant on Lionel Messi so it’s not sustainable.
One of the biggest problems at the club is it’s clear that Koeman doesn’t know what his strongest XI is at this point, and it’s reflected with some bold choices in the starting XI tonight:
#Culers! Here is YOUR starting XI for #BarçaRealSociedad!
??? pic.twitter.com/zWJXirj41W— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) December 16, 2020
He’s made a huge call to drop Lenglet in favour of youngster Oscar Mingueza, but one of Barca’s biggest problems is that they’ve stopped promoting young players so it could be a positive sign.
There’s no doubt that the Dutchman has taken a giant risk with putting out such a young defence that also includes Sergino Dest, so it’s not a surprise to see that plenty of the fans are not convinced by this choice:
Araujo – minguez combo against the league leaders is a big no no. I foresee a mingueza red card. He’s not calm under pressure , you better off with umtiti instead , at least the experience counts . Araujo is okay .
What happened to couti ?— Somebody great (@Dr_Oluwasina) December 16, 2020
We’re using a B team centreback duo vs the leauge leader? Have Koeman gone mad?
— Abodi (@Abodi99003428) December 16, 2020
Very brave. Other than Busquets, a very brave choice of defence. It’ll either end in a Clean Sheet or premium tears
— ISHMAEL™ (@Sir_fabulouss) December 16, 2020
I don’t expect any Barca fan to be crying when these two center backs drop a disasterclass. We called for this line up abd they are in there. This is a crucial game
— Atopahene???? (@_Atopahene) December 16, 2020
Where is Langlet ?
I have a bad feeling about this lineup. This is a must win game for us— lxsameer (@lxsameer) December 16, 2020
I actually feel embarrassed when I look at this line up… our squad is so bad…
— Stephen Mayhew (@Mayhew10Stephen) December 16, 2020
Araujo and Mingueza at the back. I know we should trust the kids but..??
— Ndumiso (@ubothi_mthiyane) December 16, 2020
We need to encourage them they’re doing well but explain matter a lot