Barcelona have a challenging October ahead

The Catalans have a tough early-season run to test the limits of the squad.

September started brightly as Barcelona continued their perfect start with wins against Huesca, Real Sociedad and PSV, but they dropped five points in two games against Girona and Leganes. Both games were easily winnable on paper so it was hugely disappointing. However, it does give Ernesto Valverde plenty of time to work out a solution and they are still competitive in every competition. Samuel Umtiti’s injury does poss a major conundrum, though, due to Gerard Pique’s abysmal form.

Real Madrid’s adjustment to Julen Lopetegui’s methods means that Barcelona have a larger margin of error than usual at the start of the season because their main rivals are likely to drop points in games they would usually be expected to win such as the Athletic Bilbao match.

Atletico Madrid started poorly as well which has also given Barca a breather. The Madrid derby is at the weekend, so that will be more points dropped. However, the schedule is no longer generous for Barcelona as they have a hard run of games which starts with Athletic Bilbao at the end of September.

The only benefit is that this run comes when the schedule isn’t too congested because the Copa del Rey doesn’t start until near the end of the month as well as an international break being sandwiched inbetween. They have three leagues games, two Champions League matches as well as the aforementioned Copa del Rey opener.

Fixture List

03/10 – Tottenham Hotspur (A)

07/10 – Valencia (A)

20/10 – Sevilla (H)

24/10 – Internazionale (H)

28/10 – Real Madrid (H)

31/10 – TBD

Real Madrid naturally stands out as the main fixture of the month as well as one of the most pivotal matches of the season due to the nature of the rivalry and the impact it has on the league. Lopetegui has lost his two main matches so far as manager, which suggests that there are flaws to exploit. Defensively they have looked disorganised at times and that is compounded by the risks they take in the current system, although the same could be said about Barcelona.

Sevilla are a tough proposition because they showed against Los Blancos how potent they are on the counter; they also gave Barca plenty of problems in the Spanish Super Cup. The space in wide areas when Barcelona are transitioning to their defensive shape definitely needs to be addressed by this point.

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Inter are the main rivals in the Champions League group, but Spurs won’t be rollovers by any means because they appear to have ended their run of poor form. The Italian side make games tight with a strong reliance on Mauro Icardi to finish the limited chances he receives. Stifling him limits them offensively.

Tottenham showed last season that they can raise their game against top opponents because they picked up four points against Real Madrid. Their mix of physicality, intelligent pressing and organisation could pose plenty of problems, so they can’t be underestimated.

Valencia haven’t matched the high expectations set from last year, but it only appears to be a matter of time before they will click into gear. Goncalo Guedes, Michy Batshuayi, Rodrigo and Denis Cheryshev are all dangerous counter-attacking weapons. It looks like another difficult trip to the Mestalla awaits the Blaugrana.

The eight days from Sevilla to Real Madrid will really test the squad physically as well as how much faith Valverde has in his rotation options. Having the international break just prior to that is beneficial because Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique will all be well-rested for that run of matches. However, some of the South American contingent may struggle due to the number of air miles.

Barcelona have an arduous month ahead of them, but if they come through unscathed then the future of the season will look bright.