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Barcelona: Malcom deserves a start against Internazionale

By Benjamin Barkworth

VALENCIA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 7: Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira of FC Barcelona looks before the La Liga match between Valencia CF and FC Barcelona on October 7, 2018, at Mestalla Stadium in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Sanchez Martinez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
VALENCIA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 7: Malcom Filipe Silva de Oliveira of FC Barcelona looks before the La Liga match between Valencia CF and FC Barcelona on October 7, 2018, at Mestalla Stadium in Valencia, Spain. (Photo by Carlos Sanchez Martinez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Ousmane Dembele didn’t make the most of his opportunity against Sevilla so Malcom deserves a shot.

Barcelona managed to hold off Sevilla’s potent attack to come away with a 4-2 win, although they were reliant on Marc-Andre ter Stegen singlehandedly saving the day at times. However, cules at Camp Nou as well as fans across the globe held their breath as Lionel Messi picked up a nasty looking injury during the first half of the match. Thankfully, he’s only out for three weeks so Barcelona’s season isn’t ruined, but he will miss El Clasico.

Ousmane Dembele came on in the Argentine’s place as Barcelona tried to hold on to the 2-0 lead Messi had helped build within the 16 minutes he was on the pitch. The French winger performed well in the first half and then managed to take the emphasis away from that with a disastrous second half. He lost possession consistently while lacking any attacking spark as well as seemingly having a lackadaisical attitude.

It was the worst kind of display to put in after he had been given a golden opportunity with Messi’s injury. He needed to show determination to regain a starting place with a top performance because there are a number of big games ahead for the Catalans. His issues present Malcom with the chance to come into the first-team fold after a number of matches in which he didn’t even make the matchday squad.

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Malcom was excellent in pre-season as he quickly put the furore over his decision to join Barcelona over Roma, even though he had an agreement with them, behind him. However, he’s only played a total of 25 minutes in competitive matches for the Catalans as he has been repeatedly snubbed by his manager for whatever reason.

Valverde’s unwillingness to use him has caused an issue because Malcom could be rusty and Internazionale are likely to be tough opponents. The Milanese side are Barcelona’s main competition for top spot in the group as they are also on maximum points. Nonetheless, starting Malcom would bring the Brazilian back into the first team during a key period while also providing a statement of intent for Dembele that he needs to earn the first choice winger role.

Next. Marc-André ter Stegen shows why he’s the best. dark

Competition could be what brings the best out of the Frenchman whilst also ensuring Malcom isn’t disillusioned and making sure he is available to make an impact as a starter or from the bench. This is an experiment that could fail, but Valverde could always call upon Dembele from the bench or Sergi Roberto who has been used in that right-wing position before. This is assuming that there isn’t a formation change to deal with Messi’s absence.