Barcelona Struggle to Scoreless Draw vs. Last-Place Huesca Without Lionel Messi

Barcelona were surprisingly held to a 0-0 draw by bottom-of-the-table Huesca in La Liga on Saturday. The Blaugrana counted the cost of resting Lionel Messi ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester United.

Manager Ernesto Valverde's team also missed suspended striker Luis Suarez during the stalemate at Estadio El Alcoraz.

Leaders Barca missed the chance to go 14 points clear of nearest rivals Atletico Madrid, who host Celta Vigo later today.

Barca Need to Upgrade From Ousmane Dembele this Summer

Some sluggishness may be expected since he's only returned from injury, but Ousmane Dembele's latest tame performance should be Barca's cue to upgrade from the Frenchman this summer.

Dembele has simply had too many injuries and raised too many questions about his temperament off the pitch to be a match-winner Barcelona can trust consistently.

It's a problem when the Blaugrana choose to rest Messi. These should be the moments for Dembele to stake his claim as the heir apparent to the club's attacking talisman.

Instead, Dembele laboured through a ponderous display marked by mistimed runs and profligacy in front of goal. Sadly, those things have become all-too-familiar during Dembele's stop-start spell in the Spanish top flight.

There's no denying the former Borussia Dortmund and Rennes star possesses pace, vision and intelligent movement. Yet putting those things together on a regular basis, as well as allying them with a ruthless streak when chances come his way, continues to elude the mercurial 21-year-old.

It said a lot Dembele was ultimately outperformed by fellow struggler Malcom:

Barca won't be short of alternatives should they step up a search for a replacement. The club has been linked with a move for Chelsea's Willian, per Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph.

There have also been rumours concerning Marcus Rashford of Manchester United, according to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Football Espana). Neither Rashford nor Willian are as naturally dynamic as Dembele, but both could be counted to produce at least solid performances in support of Messi—or even in his absence—more often.

Barca risked becoming too reliant on Messi and Suarez unless they get the third position along their forward line right. It's a need that demands moving on from Dembele when the transfer window opens this summer.

Carles Alena Must Start Ahead of Arthur vs. Manchester United

The decision to rely on academy graduates and fringe players ultimately didn't pay off for Valverde in Huesca. Yet the experiment did give him useful pointer ahead of the visit of United next week.

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Valverde must start Carles Alena in midfield ahead of Arthur Melo. The latter is hard working and combative, but he doesn't possess Alena's comfort and technique on the ball.

Barca lacked those qualities during the first leg at Old Trafford. It's why the visitors failed to build on taking an early lead courtesy of Luke Shaw's 12th-minute own goal.

The Blaugrana had 66.4 percent of the possession and completed 85.4 percent of their passes in the final third, according to Sky Sports.

Barca's inability to turn those passes into chances and goals was a direct result of the lack of imagination from midfield. This isn't the same team that used to flow through the creative minds and feet of Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

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A failure to adequately replace both has left Barcelona extra reliant on Messi for creative verve to go with his many goals.

United won't be able to sit so deep in the second leg, and how Barca use the ball will determine how quickly the Red Devils' bid for goals fades away. Alena's more cultured use of possession would make United chase the ball and give Barca the ingenuity needed to add to their tally.

What's Next?

Barca face United at the Camp Nou on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Huesca don't return to action until Saturday, April 20, away at fellow strugglers Rayo Vallecano.