Three players that could define Barcelona’s 2021/22

With the 2021/22 campaign just a little over two weeks away, plans for the new season are taking shape at Barcelona.

The Catalans endured a mixed bag of a season last time out. In what was Ronald Koeman’s first term in charge, Barcelona did go on to lift the Copa del Rey. But the disappointment of finishing outside the top two in La Liga and the Champions League exit at the hands of PSG outweighed the cup triumph.

So, heading into the new season, Koeman & co. will be hoping to rectify that and bring in more success at Camp Nou after what has been a turbulent period due to the finances and the presidential change.

Year after year, Barcelona have had to rely on Lionel Messi to spearhead their charge for trophies. But, the Argentina skipper is yet to re-sign with the Catalans after his deal ran out. And even though the contract extension is expected to be completed, at 34, the global superstar cannot continue to shoulder the burden all by himself.

Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique are also running on fumes and will need to be managed carefully as well. So, Barcelona will need some of their other star players to step up, and do so in a huge way, in the upcoming campaign. And here are three players who will likely have a major role in defining how the season pans out for the Blaugrana.

Ansu Fati

After a stunning breakout season in 2019/20, the sky was the limit for young Ansu Fati. And the manner in which he started the last season only reaffirmed the belief that the teenager was indeed a special talent who can grow into a great player for Barcelona.

As fate would have it, just when the youngster was soaring high, a serious knee injury brought him crashing down. The 18-year-old has undergone three surgeries to rectify the issue and is expected to be back only in mid-September. And, how things shape up for him once he returns could have a major say on Barcelona’s fortunes.

Injuries like this can have a drastic impact on a player’s physical condition as well as confidence. Whether Fati can overcome that and start from where he left off will be a major question. With Antoine Griezmann’s future uncertain and Ousmane Dembele ruled out for a significant period with an injury, Fati hitting the ground running on his return will be critical for Barcelona.

Memphis Depay

Barcelona suffered from the lack of a consistent source of goals other than Lionel Messi last season. While Griezmann did come into his own towards the backend, he still finished 17 shy of Messi’s tally (30) in La Liga, with no other player managing to reach double figures.

This is where the signing of Memphis Depay will come into the picture. While he has his detractors, the Dutchman, without question, is an upgrade on Martin Braithwaite and, to an extent, Ousmane Dembele, having produced solid numbers with Olympique Lyon in the past couple of seasons.

Depay’s versatility provides a bit more tactical flexibility to Koeman with regard to choosing his attacking options. As iterated earlier, with Griezmann’s situation being as it is and Dembele’s injury, along with Sergio Aguero’s own fitness issues, the Dutchman will have a crucial role to play for Barcelona come the 2021/22 season.

Frenkie de Jong

After a middling debut season at Camp Nou, fans got to saw the version of Frenkie de Jong that made the club splash huge sums to sign him during the 2020/21 campaign. The Netherlands international stole the show with some stunning displays, in midfield and, surprisingly, at the heart of the three-man defence as well.

However, as the former AFC Ajax star admitted himself earlier this summer, more is to come from him. That is something that manager Ronald Koeman agrees with as well, having demanded his compatriot to deliver more in terms of his goal-output in the coming season.

De Jong, with his driving runs and ability to circulate the ball immaculately, stood out last season. But, with Sergio Busquets now entering the final phase of his career, the Dutchman will also need to assume the mantle of the leader of the pack in midfield, to guide young talents like Pedri, Ilaix Moriba and Nico Gonzalez.