Ferran Torres, Aubameyang Pierre-Emerick and Adama Traore in New Barcelona without Messi.
Barcelona may not have Lionel Messi but club are on up after replacing Martin Braithwaite, Luuk De Jong and Memphis Depay with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore.
Football can change quickly and while Barcelona looked to be at the pit of their decline in August 2021, things are now looking a lot more rosy.
They have a club legend at the wheel and a new look attack that could give him what he needs to kick-start a great run of form in the second half of the season.
Only time will tell how it all pans out.
Barcelona’s front-three through the years:
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| Torres, Aubamayang, Adama |
Football can change quickly and while Barcelona looked to be at the pit of their decline in August 2021, things are now looking a lot more rosy.
They have a club legend at the wheel and a new look attack that could give him what he needs to kick-start a great run of form in the second half of the season.
Only time will tell how it all pans out.
Barcelona’s front-three through the years:
- Messi, Eto’o, Ronaldinho
- Messi Eto’o, Henry
- Messi, Ibrahimovic, Henry
- Messi, Villa, Pedro
- Messi, Suarez, Neymar
- Messi, Suarez, Coutinho
- Messi, Suarez, Griezmann
- Messi, Braithwaite, Griezmann Braithwaite, De Jong, Depay
To day is Torres, Aubamayang, Adama
The signings of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traore and Ferran Torres offer boss Xavi some much needed firepower, with all three recruited for less than £50million combined.
Torres was brought in at the start of the window in an initial £47million move from Manchester City, and has slotted straight into Xavi's side.
DESPITE being in financial turmoil off the pitch, Barcelona made three quality additions on it during the January transfer window.
The signings of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traore and Ferran Torres offer boss Xavi some much needed firepower, with all three recruited for less than £50million combined.
How Barcelona could look with their three January signings
How Barcelona could look with their three January signings
Torres was brought in at the start of the window in an initial £47million move from Manchester City, and has slotted straight into Xavi's side.
The 21-year-old has a goal and an assist in just three games for Barcelona, and is quickly establishing himself as a key player.
And his goal contributions will only increase with the additions of Aubameyang and Traore.
Traore arrives on an initial loan deal from Wolves, with a £25m option to buy at the end of the season.
Aubameyang meanwhile had his Arsenal terminated late on deadline day, meaning he could sign for Barcelona for free on a permanent transfer.
Both players are expected to slot straight into Xavi's starting side along Torres, in what will be an entirely new front three for the Spanish giants.
They would lead the line in front of a midfield trio of Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets and wonderkid Pedri.
Behind them Jordi Alba, Sergio Araujo, Gerard Pique and Sergino Dest could make up a back four, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks.
So after a miserable start to the season, which included being dumped out of the Champions League at the group stages, Barcelona suddenly have a very strong look to them.
The Catalans are currently fifth in LaLiga, just a point behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
But with their three new quality winter signings, Barca will more than fancy breaking into the top four in the second half of the season.
Alternatively Xavi could throw caution to the wind in order to shoehorn in all of his attacking talents.
A 3-4-1-2 formation could see Ansu Fati and Traore operate as wing-backs, with Torres moving in field to the No10 position.
That would allow Memphis Depay to come in and partner Aubameyang up front when the Dutch striker returns from injury.
Barcelona's revamped attack will host an Atlético Madrid side seeking to restore its once vaunted defense on Sunday in the Spanish league at Camp Nou.
Struggling to score since the exits of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann last summer, Barcelona went shopping during the January transfer window and brought in three forwards from the English Premier League.
In came former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a free agent. Adama Traoré came back to his boyhood club on loan from Wolverhampton, and Ferran Torres was secured on a transfer from Manchester City.
Torres has already played three matches for Barcelona, while Aubameyang and Traoré could make their debut against Atlético.
“I hope on Sunday I can show all my talent on the field,” said Traoré, who came up through Barcelona’s youth academy.
“I have grown physically, I have more experience, and I have played in another league that is more physical and faster. But I have never lost the essence of Barça."
Now it falls on coach Xavi Hernández to figure out how to fit his new players into an already large squad that earlier in the season featured Memphis Depay and Ansu Fati in attack before they were injured.
Barcelona is used to dueling with Real Madrid for the league’s most potent attack but ranks seventh for scoring this season.
Xavi has had to be creative in forming his front lines.
Depay, who leads Barcelona with eight goals, and the 19-year-old Fati, the player the club is hoping can be a future star, are both out with nagging muscle injuries. In their place have been a mix of youths from Barcelona’s reserve team including Ferran Jutglà , Abde Ezzalzouli and Ilias Akhomach and the scarcely used Luuk de Jong.
De Jong took full advantage of finally getting a chance to play, scoring three goals in four appearances.
Even so, the club wanted to give Xavi more weapons up front, especially after contract renewal negotiations broke down with star signing Ousmane Dembélé.
Xavi hoped to rely heavily on Dembélé until the winger and club fell out over his refusal to accept its offer of a new contract before his current deal expires in June. The club told Dembélé to seek a transfer during January but he declined all offers. Now Xavi has to decide whether to play a player who looks certain to leave come summer.
The arrivals of Torres and Traoré, who can both play on the right wing, could mean Dembélé's days as a Barcelona player are effectively over.
When Barcelona and Atlético met late last season at Camp Nou it was a key clash in the title fight that was won by the visitor.
This time, the top prize appears to be simply qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Atlético is in fourth place, the last qualifying berth, while Barcelona is just one point back in fifth.
Atlético acquired versatile midfielder Daniel Wass from Valencia and left back Reinildo Mandava from Lille in the winter window.
They will try to help Atlético reinforce a defense that normally ranks as the best in Spain but has proven brittle lately. Atlético has only the 11th-best defense of the 20-team league in goals allowed.
Real Madrid has opened up a 14-point gap over defending champion Atlético and the only rival in striking distance is Sevilla, which is four points back in second place.
Madrid hosts Granada on Sunday, a day after Sevilla is at Osasuna.
The signings of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traore and Ferran Torres offer boss Xavi some much needed firepower, with all three recruited for less than £50million combined.
Torres was brought in at the start of the window in an initial £47million move from Manchester City, and has slotted straight into Xavi's side.
DESPITE being in financial turmoil off the pitch, Barcelona made three quality additions on it during the January transfer window.
The signings of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traore and Ferran Torres offer boss Xavi some much needed firepower, with all three recruited for less than £50million combined.
How Barcelona could look with their three January signings
How Barcelona could look with their three January signings
Torres was brought in at the start of the window in an initial £47million move from Manchester City, and has slotted straight into Xavi's side.
The 21-year-old has a goal and an assist in just three games for Barcelona, and is quickly establishing himself as a key player.
And his goal contributions will only increase with the additions of Aubameyang and Traore.
Traore arrives on an initial loan deal from Wolves, with a £25m option to buy at the end of the season.
Aubameyang meanwhile had his Arsenal terminated late on deadline day, meaning he could sign for Barcelona for free on a permanent transfer.
Both players are expected to slot straight into Xavi's starting side along Torres, in what will be an entirely new front three for the Spanish giants.
They would lead the line in front of a midfield trio of Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets and wonderkid Pedri.
Behind them Jordi Alba, Sergio Araujo, Gerard Pique and Sergino Dest could make up a back four, with Marc-Andre ter Stegen between the sticks.
So after a miserable start to the season, which included being dumped out of the Champions League at the group stages, Barcelona suddenly have a very strong look to them.
The Catalans are currently fifth in LaLiga, just a point behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.
But with their three new quality winter signings, Barca will more than fancy breaking into the top four in the second half of the season.
Alternatively Xavi could throw caution to the wind in order to shoehorn in all of his attacking talents.
A 3-4-1-2 formation could see Ansu Fati and Traore operate as wing-backs, with Torres moving in field to the No10 position.
 |
| Messi, Junior ,Suarez |
That would allow Memphis Depay to come in and partner Aubameyang up front when the Dutch striker returns from injury.
Barcelona's revamped attack will host an Atlético Madrid side seeking to restore its once vaunted defense on Sunday in the Spanish league at Camp Nou.
Struggling to score since the exits of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann last summer, Barcelona went shopping during the January transfer window and brought in three forwards from the English Premier League.
In came former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a free agent. Adama Traoré came back to his boyhood club on loan from Wolverhampton, and Ferran Torres was secured on a transfer from Manchester City.
Torres has already played three matches for Barcelona, while Aubameyang and Traoré could make their debut against Atlético.
“I hope on Sunday I can show all my talent on the field,” said Traoré, who came up through Barcelona’s youth academy.
“I have grown physically, I have more experience, and I have played in another league that is more physical and faster. But I have never lost the essence of Barça."
Now it falls on coach Xavi Hernández to figure out how to fit his new players into an already large squad that earlier in the season featured Memphis Depay and Ansu Fati in attack before they were injured.
Barcelona is used to dueling with Real Madrid for the league’s most potent attack but ranks seventh for scoring this season.
Xavi has had to be creative in forming his front lines.
Depay, who leads Barcelona with eight goals, and the 19-year-old Fati, the player the club is hoping can be a future star, are both out with nagging muscle injuries. In their place have been a mix of youths from Barcelona’s reserve team including Ferran Jutglà , Abde Ezzalzouli and Ilias Akhomach and the scarcely used Luuk de Jong.
De Jong took full advantage of finally getting a chance to play, scoring three goals in four appearances.
Even so, the club wanted to give Xavi more weapons up front, especially after contract renewal negotiations broke down with star signing Ousmane Dembélé.
Xavi hoped to rely heavily on Dembélé until the winger and club fell out over his refusal to accept its offer of a new contract before his current deal expires in June. The club told Dembélé to seek a transfer during January but he declined all offers. Now Xavi has to decide whether to play a player who looks certain to leave come summer.
The arrivals of Torres and Traoré, who can both play on the right wing, could mean Dembélé's days as a Barcelona player are effectively over.
When Barcelona and Atlético met late last season at Camp Nou it was a key clash in the title fight that was won by the visitor.
This time, the top prize appears to be simply qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Atlético is in fourth place, the last qualifying berth, while Barcelona is just one point back in fifth.
Atlético acquired versatile midfielder Daniel Wass from Valencia and left back Reinildo Mandava from Lille in the winter window.
They will try to help Atlético reinforce a defense that normally ranks as the best in Spain but has proven brittle lately. Atlético has only the 11th-best defense of the 20-team league in goals allowed.
Real Madrid has opened up a 14-point gap over defending champion Atlético and the only rival in striking distance is Sevilla, which is four points back in second place.
Madrid hosts Granada on Sunday, a day after Sevilla is at Osasuna.
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