5 Crucial Players For FC Barcelona In 2021/22 Season
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#5 Ronald Araujo
After making his breakthrough season in 2020/21, under the management of Ronald Koeman, Ronald Araujo will most likely play a big part in the next season. The 23-year-old center-back from Uruguay was rushed into the first team after both two senior center-backs, Gerard Pique, and Samuel Umtiti were out injured. The young defender surely left a mark on the pitch, as he was made a consistent starter by Koeman, and he started showing traits of a proper, no-nonsense defender.
The defense has been a huge downside for the Catalan for a few years, and they were hoping to find someone to replace the injury-prone Umtiti. It looks like they have found their replacement, and Araujo has been impressive every time he has been on the field. Barcelona conceded 38 goals in the league last season, which is 10 more than Real Madrid and 13 more than Atletico Madrid. This shows that their defense is still not as stable as the other top teams, and they will need to work on this aspect a lot.
However, with Araujo fit to play, hopefully, the Uruguayan will take the lead of the back lines and command the defensive half of the game. He will certainly be one of the most important players for the club if they want to maintain defensive consistency.