Barcelona experienced a rare bad campaign last season as all the Catalans could garner was a Copa del Rey and see archrivals Real Madrid dominating both the La Liga as well as the Champions League. Despite the side scoring a whopping 116 goals throughout the season, Luis Enrique saw his men failing to Real by three points.
The former Barcelona player turned coach, whose departure at the end of the season was announced quite early, did a pretty good job in taking the team to a positive ending. Barca did win 15 of the last 17 league games of the season, but it was the new faces that mostly let him down.
Despite having some of the world’s very best players in the side, what didn’t work for Barcelona was their bench. While Enrique’s summer transfers were sure to blame, as he couldn’t get the proper backup for the side, some of Barcelona’s academy products also underperformed. Here are the three players who were a disappointment last season.
Sergi Roberto- The La Masia academy product was one of the bigger disappointments last season and was the centre of criticism throughout most of the season. With Dani Alves gone and Aleix Vidal missing most of the games in the league, this was definitely his season to announce his arrival, but the 25-year-old failed big time. In the 32 appearances he got, he could manage just six assists.
Being a defender, he could win only 58% of his average duels, and it was precisely the area where he needs to improve. Roberto was always the second favourite in the 50-50 chances and the opponents took their chances well.
Ivan Rakitic- The Croatian was a huge success in the opening season with Barcelona but it seemed his performances dip when not paired alongside Andres Iniesta. This was one of the rare seasons when Barcelona’s star midfielder Iniesta looked off the pace and repeated injuries further worsened it. However, given he is already 31, Barca are already preparing smooth replacement in the midfield.
The former Schalke man is definitely one of the best in that position and alongside emerging talents like Andre Gomes and Rafinha, he was expected to take the lead.
Lucas Digne- One of the failed transfers that Enrique could manage last summer. The 23-year-old came on the back of some brilliant displays in Paris Saint-Germain. Digne did get very few chances to impress, but being a defender, his game reading capabilities have been poor. He could win only 47% of his average duels.
In the 26 chances he got, he could manage only one goal and an assist.
