Barcelona: Ernesto Valverde has learned from last season with latest matchday squad
The matchday squad for the first leg of the Sevilla tie is missing two key players.
Poor rotation ended up costing Barcelona last season as the key players were fatigued for the Champions League knockout rounds due to being involved in Copa del Rey matches as well as games against weaker sides even though they had a significant lead in the league. However, Ernesto Valverde appears to have learned from last season based on recent matchday squads.
Barcelona face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals in what is likely to be a challenging test even though Los Hispalenses come into the first leg in poor form. They posed plenty of problems in the league clash earlier in the season at Camp Nou, although the Catalans were able to come away with a 4-2 win.
The latest matchday squad doesn’t have Lionel Messi or Sergio Busquets in it who are arguably the two most important players for Barcelona’s style. Messi is the chief attacking force of the team with the multiple roles he fills while Busquets sets the tempo and keeps play progressing. Both are the wrong side of 30 so managing their playing time is important otherwise they aren’t at their best for the key matches later in the season due to fatigue. The Argentine genius was also only used as a substitute against Leganes.
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Leaving them out makes Barca’s task a lot tougher especially considering the nature of the opposition, but the cup should be the lowest priority this season. Cules naturally have high expectations due to winning two trebles within the past decade, however, those should be seen as special seasons rather than the norm due to the number of variables that have to go in the club’s favour.
Ousmane Dembele is also unavailable for this match as well as the second leg due to injury so the pressure is on Philippe Coutinho, Luis Suarez and Malcom to step up in the absence of these key individuals. Kevin Prince Boateng could also make his first appearance after completing his loan move from Sassuolo.
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Valverde’s decision-making for this match may seem bizarre in the short-term especially if they get knocked out, although he could field a full-strength XI in the second leg, but if Barca wins the Champions League and finally put an end to Real’s recent dominance in Europe then it will all be worth it so the bigger picture needs to be considered.