Super Strugglers: 3 Barcelona Stars Who Have Let Their Manager Down Big Time This Season

After two years of success under coach Luis Enrique, Barcelona have been found wanting for consistency this term. The Catalans have had to endure an out of sorts season and look like finishing the season with no major trophies, except for the Copa Del Rey where they have already made it to the finals. After the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their round-of-16 clash, the Catalan Club’s Champions League exit is imminent and despite trailing league leaders Real Madrid by just one point in the La Liga, it looks highly improbable that the Blaugrana can finish as winners once again, given that Real have two games in hand.

Enrique has failed to show any tactical ingenuity and has at times been criticized for team selection as well. While some fault lies with the manager, many of the players have struggled to display their best form for the team, leading to some dull performances and poor results. Here, we pick out three players from the Barcelona team, who have let their manager down big time this season:

3. Sergio Busquets

The Spaniard, who is widely regarded as the best defensive midfielder in the game, in recent times, has struggled to reach his usual level of performances and has looked like a pale shadow of his former self.

Sitting at the base of the midfield for Barcelona, Busquets has failed to offer a strong shield to his defence. He has also been ineffective in linking up play with his attackers and as a result, Barcelona have looked much weaker in the middle of the park than usual. Busquets is absolutely key to the way the Catalan team play and he is the vital cog in the midfield that keeps them ticking. But with Sergio performing poorly this season, Enrique’s men have struggled to find a strong foothold in the centre of the pitch.

2. Andre Gomes

The summer arrival has had a difficult season at Camp Nou and has found it tough to adapt to the ways and demands of the La Liga giants. Having arrived from league rivals Valencia, Gomes has been a disappointment, given the huge transfer outlay involved to sign him.

The midfielder, who was a part of the Euro 2016 winning squad with Portugal, has no goals to his name and has just a single assist to show for. Despite featuring heavily during the period when Andres Iniesta was out injured, he hasn’t had any impact on the club’s performances. The 23-year old looks like he is lacking confidence and has failed to hit the heights that were expected of him after Barcelona had snatched him from under the nose of rivals Real Madrid. His ineffective displays in the middle of the park have hurt the Blaugrana and have raised questions about the transfer policy of Enrique.

3. Paco Alcacer

Another summer arrival from Valencia for a huge sum of money, Alcacer has been a failure as well. It was always going to be difficult for a striker, to break into the first-team that has the fearsome trio of Messi-Suarez-Neymar upfront. On the whole,  23-year old Spaniard has been a major let down.

Paco Alcacer, who had emerged as a fine prospect with Valencia in the past seasons, has scored just twice for Barcelona this term and has struggled to capitalize on the limited opportunities that he has had. It would not even be surprising to see him depart in the summer. The Spanish international doesn’t fit into the way Barcelona operate and as a result, it has raised huge doubts over the transfer acumen of Enrique. Instead of improving other much-needed positions like that of a right-back, he invested heavily on a player who doesn’t fit into the scheme of things.