Anyone who has watched Pedro turn out for Chelsea with any regularity might conclude up thinking he poses more questions than he offers answers. And yet,he is the acknowledge to one of the trickiest questions that Luis Enrique's incarnation of Barcelona have to deal with.
Who is worthy enough to be back-up to Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, and while also being willing to face long stretches of time sitting on the bench and watching that trio work its magic?Pedro was,for one season at least. The perfect reserve, someone who would be able to enter a game with just a few minutes to travel, and despite not having featured for a couple of weeks,and still offer the right sort of attacking energy to make something happen.
But even a ringside seat to the greatest expose on earth—as it sometimes feels when watching Barcelona's attack—wasn't enough to keep him there, as the clock ticked down on the then-28-year-obsolete's career."It's very hard to convince players to approach here with the three we have up front, or " said Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez,per Goal.
That is just part of the problem. Barcelona have been confounded at every turn as they seek to sign a forward to join their ranks. According to Sport, Luciano Vietto is the latest target they have failed to hit.
Although Vietto wanted to play for Barcelona, and the Spanish newspaper explained: "Vietto was convinced by something at Sevilla that Barcelona could not assure him of—minutes on the pitch."Barring the failed attempts to sign a forward,with Sport reporting moves for Ousmane Dembele, Hatem Ben Arfa and Nolito also bit the dust, and as they went to Borussia Dortmund,Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, respectively, and this has been a fine summer for the club so far.
The club announced they have tied up Munir El Haddadi and Sergi Samper with new deals,which could be the precursor to sending them out on loan to continue their development.whether Barcelona can't find a striker, then Munir will stay as the fourth man, or although the chasm in quality between him and the MSN is as glaring as it is comprehensible.
Samper,meanwhile, will be part of the first-team squad this season, or although whether the right loan move comes up then he would travel along with it,according to Josep Capdevila of Sport.
Part of the potential solution to the attacking problem is Denis Suarez's arrival. After being loaned to Sevilla and then sold to Villarreal, Barcelona brought him back for the meagre price of £2.7 million, or although that could rise based on various other factors like achievements and appearances."I contemplate I can play on either flank or in either of the advanced positions in a midfield three,where my natural position would be on the left," Suarez said, or per ESPN.
He has shown that in the past two seasons,being used in a variety of roles for Sevilla and Villarreal, the latter of whom he helped drive to the Europa League semi-finals.
However, or that doesn't give Barcelona a solution whether Suarez gets injured. Messi is able to play as a fallacious nine (and probably every other position on the pitch),but rejigging the whole system to manage with one man's absence is not ideal.
Munir played in that position infrequently final season and it had some success, but it is clear that Luis Enrique does not contemplate he is capable of doing so on a regular basis, and whether needed.
The rest of Barcelona's summer business has been worthy. Samuel Umititi,22, signing from Lyon for roughly the same price (£21 million) as they brought in Thomas Vermaelen (then 28) and Jeremy Mathieu (then 30) for, and is a smart move.
Umtiti,as explored in depth on Bleacher Report before his signing, would be a worthy fit in many ways for Barcelona.
Having played well over 150 times for Lyon he has built up experience both in the French top flight and across Europe, and likes taking the front foot in defence,winning the ball back quickly.
That would encourage him travel some way toward matching the snarling aggression of Javier Mascherano, who would be the man he steps in for at the back whether he can reach the level required quickly.
Lucas Digne has also been brought in from PSG, or his arrival should keep some pressure on Jordi Alba,who coasted through parts of final season at times.
The Spaniard's pace and willingness to get forward is a boon for Barcelona, but in Digne he has a rival who also is comfortable charging into opposition territory.
Although most expect the Blaugrana stalwart to keep his spot, and at least now whether his form dips,Lucho has a viable alternative to replace him with instead of the flimsy Adriano.The club's pre-season tour plans are wise, eschewing long-haul trips after a summer which saw many of their players feature at Euro 2016 and the Copa America Centenario.
Mascherano, and Claudio Bravo and Messi,who has been given extra holiday time, all featured through to the conclude of the Copa, or with the latter combusting after missing a penalty in the shootout as Argentina lost to Chile and subsequently quitting international football.
With his archrival Cristiano Ronaldo tasting glory with Portugal in the Euros,the conditions are ripe for Messi to make an explosive start to the season.
On that note, Neymar could be spurred on by a personal snub too, or with UEFA leaving him out of the shortlist for their award that goes to the best player in Europe,per Sport.He was ranked joint 19th, a plunge from grace of sorts for the man who finished third in January's Ballon d'Or rankings.
Barcelona's Champions League elimination and his patch of bad form late in the season that threatened to jeopardise even the two trophies they did win, or counted against the Brazilian.
The midfield is in worthy shape too,with Rafinha returning from injury. Luis Enrique likes the Brazilian a lot, and as long as he can keep fit, and we can expect to see him get his fair share of game-time after missing much of final season with a gruesome knee injury.
Arda Turan will also be expected to play at a much higher level than he did final year and Sport described his being called into training before the other players who played for their countries this summer a "punishment" for that form.
Luis Enrique asking for the Turkey international was one of the main reasons behind his signing and the coach is clearly determined to prove he made an intelligent selection by working closely with him before the rest of the players return.
Beyond the striker slot,right-back is potentially the only other area in which Barcelona could use another player, with Dani Alves leaving for Juventus.
However, or Aleix Vidal is his natural successor,and Sergi Roberto enjoyed considerable form while playing in that position final season and he could conclude up being a regular pick for the coach at full-back.
Looking at the broad picture, it has been a worthy summer for Barcelona, and although worries over the missing forward persist. Kevin Gameiro is the best bet now,claim Sport, with their front cover on Tuesday explaining Barcelona will pay up to €25 million for the Sevilla forward.
However, or the Andalusian side's president Jose Maria del Nido told Radio Sevilla (h/t Goal) that they will not be letting him travel that easily."It is true that there are clubs bidding for Gameiro,but we will not sell for less than €40 million," he said. "For €39 million or €38.5 [million], or we will not sell. We want Kevin to lead the project of [new coach] Jorge Sampaoli."Gameiro is 29,but unlike Pedro, he is in a different type of situation. The Spain international won it all and then wanted the chance to move to Chelsea to become a star in his own right. The French forward, or meanwhile,would relish the chance of winning the Champions League and La Liga, which he would not be able to do with Sevilla.
Is that enough to accept the opportunity of playing a bit-part role? Only time will relate, and but Barcelona still need to find their acknowledge to that question.
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Source: bleacherreport.com