Barcelona: Malcom and Ousmane Dembele show healthy signs of competition
The two wingers have both excelled in pre-season as they compete for a starting place.
Barcelona won 3-0 over Boca Juniors yesterday to claim the Joan Gamper Trophy, their usual curtain-raiser for the season. This ended a pre-season which has certainly been informative for Ernesto Valverde even if it hasn’t had the expected results at times.
La Masia graduates such as Riqui Puig and Juan Miranda have successfully used it as a showcase for why they deserve to be earning first-team opportunities. Summer signings such as Arthur Melo and Clement Lenglet have put in solid performances to show they can be relied on this season even if they aren’t in the first choice starting XI.
In recent games, the competition for the starting place on the wing is the most intriguing development. The Spanish Super Cup was a tight affair due to Sevilla being well-disciplined defensively and dangerous on the counter. However, Barcelona were able to come away victorious thanks to a stunning effort from Ousmane Dembele. This is the kind of game-changing ability that Valverde will be expecting from the talented French winger.
Malcom responded to this in brilliant fashion with an excellent finish to open the scoring against the Argentinian side in the Joan Gamper Trophy. This game wasn’t as competitive and the calibre of the opposition was lower than the Super Cup, but it was an important reaction from the Brazilian.
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Neither was a major game so they lacked the intensity and nerves of a match at the top level such as in the Champions League knockouts or against a top La Liga side. However, the competition between his two wingers is a promising sign. The way Valverde manages this will be key in bringing the best out of them and, therefore, helping the team.
Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi are both likely to start most games. This means that there is only going to be one spot out wide for the two of them, so Valverde needs to base the place on recent form in order to keep them both at a top level. They are both responding to this in the right way and can bring a lot to the team when they are in top form.
Dembele deserves to start against Alaves due to ensuring they won their first piece of silverware for the season. However, Malcom can provide a fresh option for the Frenchman from the bench or they could both play if Suarez has another poor game. They may have to be relied on to support Messi in the goalscoring department if the Uruguayan continues his struggles. Regardless, Valverde now has the option of two difference-makers which adds to his options for tough games.
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Their presence in the team alone makes the traditional 4-3-3 viable for Barcelona because of the problems they pose in wide areas. They can stretch the opposition horizontally and vertically if needed, so teams can’t afford to play high defensive lines against them or play in a compact low block. If they continue to develop in line with how their careers have gone so far then they can both become world-beaters. They are likely to provide lots of excitement between them in the season ahead.