4 Most Frustrating Things About Being a Barcelona Fan Right Now
Let's be honest, for anyone that has followed Barcelona over the last few years, they've been spoiled beyond belief.
The best players and best managers in their history, and the most successful period in all of their 116 years.
Which makes the comedown when things aren't going so well all the more difficult to bear.
It's a frustrating time for any Cule, but when the chips are down that's when it's time to show your true colours and offer unending support for the team.
Luis Enrique alluded to it after the Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen when he said, per FCBarcelona.com, “I’m not going to say anything bad about the fans. We need their support.”
It was a clear reference to a lack of vocal backing from the Camp Nou terraces.
So what are the four most frustrating things about supporting Barca at present? Let's take a look.
Sitting in Fourth Place in the La Liga Table
1 of 4
At the close of play after week seven of La Liga, Barca find themselves looking up at three other sides.
Fourth place in the table at this point of the season isn't a disaster, of course, but with the coherence of the side not yet in place to any great degree, it's arguable that the Catalans could slip further behind top spot before all of their injured players return.
The disjointed nature of play to this point isn't something the fans of the club have been used to seeing, opposition teams even making Barca look positively ordinary at times.
Working harder on the training pitch to find the formula is a pre-requisite, with a view to climbing back to the summit in due course.
Watching a Team Without Lionel Messi Playing
2 of 4
No team is about one player, but there is little doubt that when Lionel Messi isn't in the Barcelona side it changes the team dynamic.
It's perhaps a look into the future and what Barca fans will need to get used to when their talisman has finally hung up his boots.
Only when something isn't there do you truly appreciate its value, and that is certainly the case with Messi being absent from proceedings.
There isn't as much zip about Barca's attacking play. The passing lines and accuracy haven't been replicated by any of his team-mates thus reducing Barca's potency in that part of the pitch.
The Catalans become easier to defend against as a result, and, as we saw against Sevilla, more predictable.
Rotations
3 of 4
We've been here before, haven't we?
Roughly 12 months ago, Luis Enrique was being castigated for a continuous rotation of his staff in the early part of the season.
Winning the treble silenced his critics, but with Barca struggling again should the manager be playing Jeremy Mathieu ahead of Marc Bartra?
Should Dani Alves be left on the bench when clearly your best exponents are required?
Should Javier Mascherano be pushed forward into midfield alongside Sergio Busquets when the Argentinian has played his best football at Barca in the centre of defence alongside Gerard Pique?
Whilst accepting that some rotations have been forced upon him through injuries to key players, Enrique hasn't helped his cause at times.
Seeing La Masia Graduates Struggle
4 of 4
Barcelona pride themselves on having one of the most respected academies in world football.
A graduate of La Masia is a player who normally comes with a guarantee of quality, but over the last few years, that has been sorely lacking.
Cristian Tello, Martin Montoya, Gerard Deulofeu, Adama Traore and others have all been consigned to the Barca scrapheap in recent times.
Now there is a focus on Munir El-Haddadi and Sandro Ramirez, the next two off the production line trying to claim a regular spot at the top table.
Both players, like their contemporaries before them, are struggling. The step up from Barca B to the seniors still appears to be a bridge too far.
Still in their teens, some more growing and development won't go amiss, but for the time being neither look genuine Barca class.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
