Barcelona have an excess amount of senior strikers for the 2018/19 season.
The board have been effective, so far, with their transfer business in this summer window. Key areas have been strengthened while unwanted players have been moved on successfully. This has given Barcelona the platform to build on the domestic double from last season.
There is one issue that hasn’t been solved, though. The back-up striker situation hasn’t been addressed as of yet because Munir El Haddadi and Paco Alcacer are still at the club. Luis Suarez is the undisputed starter even though he is increasingly showing signs that he is in decline, but that is an issue for another day. The Uruguayan should be capable enough to lead the line for Barcelona this season. However, it isn’t clear who will be picked for the less important games.
Munir appeared to get the nod because he was more involved in the pre-season games. Alcacer’s injury certainly helped in that regard, but his performance against Milan in the final International Champions Cup game was poor. Munir also made the bench over his teammate for the Spanish Super Cup, but he wasn’t used. However, neither were chosen to be a substitute for the opening league game against Alaves.
They were both available for the game, so it was Ernesto Valverde’s decision to drop them out. His unwillingness to even use one as a substitute suggests that he won’t be relying on them too heavily. Therefore, at least one should be leaving in this transfer window in order to bring in some funds as well as cut down the wage bill.
Alcacer is still attracting interest with Borussia Dortmund being the latest suitors, although they initially want the deal to be a loan which could be an issue. Any potential deal needs to have a permanent option to buy at the end of the loan for a reasonable price.
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One potential solution that could be used if Suarez continues to struggle is using Lionel Messi as a ‘false 9’, with two of either Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Malcom played either side of him. This set-up would be reliant on the midfielders taking away some of the ball progression duties from the Argentine, though. Otherwise, he could be forced to drop too deep and hardly receive the ball in dangerous areas. The idea of this role is to allow him to participate in build-up from central areas by working between the lines, but asking him to do too much destabilises the team’s attacking shape.
Regardless, they don’t need two strikers, so it needs to be made clear who is the second choice for that position and the other one needs to be sold. Munir’s contract situation adds to this because it runs out in 2019, which means a decision needs to be made promptly because he could leave as a free agent if not.
Barcelona also have Abel Ruiz who can step in for the less important games, such as in the Copa del Rey, if the back-up striker picks up an injury. He could also graduate into the back-up role over the next few seasons, but expecting him to do it this season is a step too far because he is only 18-years-old. Continuing his development with the Barcelona B is most important for his career currently.