Could Memphis Depay Be FC Barcelona’s Solution To The Left-Wing Role?

FC Barcelona have made a strong start to the 2022/23 season. The Catalan giants have won 5 straight league games after their 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona have also scored 18 goals so far, the highest in the league.

However, manager Xavi has not yet been able to identify his frontline yet. Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski have nailed down their places in the team. The left-wing slot is still up for grabs. New signing Raphinha has looked better when deployed down the right wing. Meanwhile, Ferran Torres has struggled for form, while Ansu Fati is yet to reach full fitness.

Robert Lewandowski has scored 8 goals for Barcelona in 6 games. The second highest scorer for the club is Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati, tied with two goals each. This indicates that FC Barcelona lack an able supporting cast to back the Polish center-forward.

And Xavi appears to have answered two problems with one solution. Against Elche, the Spaniard deployed Memphis Depay on the left flank. Barcelona cruised to a 3-0 victory as the Dutchman put in an impressive shift.

How Could Memphis Depay Work As A Left-Winger?

Memphis Depay is not a proper winger profile. Instead, the 28-year-old ideally thrives in the half-spaces just around the box. Last season, Xavi and Koeman utilized Memphis in a proper “9” role. The former Manchester United attacker struggled to interpret this role effectively but still managed to end the season with 13 goals and 3 assists in 39 games across competitions. Memphis did not thrive in a system that required him to be the focal point of the front line; creating space for runners around him.

Instead, Memphis is best in a role that pairs him with a target man ahead of him. At Lyon, the Dutchman formed a formidable strike partnership with Moussa Dembele in a similar fashion.

In Xavi’s 4-3-3 system, the wingers have generally been instructed to maintain extreme width. This usually allows the full-backs to invert from deeper, and the interiors to push higher up. Such a role too, does not exactly match the qualities offered by Memphis.

However, FC Barcelona have three options for the left-back role this season. And incidentally, all of Jordi Alba, Marcos Alonso and Alejandro Balde thrive in a more attacking role. This means that Xavi could actually benefit from utilizing an overlapping full-back on the left flank, rather than an inverted one.

Additionally, Pedri has been experimented in a deep-lying playmaker role this season. The 19-year-old has been allowed to drop deeper to support Sergio Busquets and pull strings from the middle third itself. This means that Memphis Depay can comfortably play as an inverted winger without compromising the team’s structural integrity.

From the left half-space, Memphis Depay adds a lot to the team’s attacking variations. The 28-year-old can provide the ideal foil to Robert Lewandowski, and make best use of the spaces created by the Polish striker’s movements in the box. Furthermore, Depay could also provide an additional threat by taking on his man and attempting to shoot from further distances against sturdier defences. He also has the creativity and vision to pick out his wingers in threatening positions too.

After the successful demonstration against Elche, Xavi is sure to roll out a line-up with Memphis Depay on the left soon. The Dutchman’s untimely injury during the international break hampers the consistency he would have been looking to build up. Memphis Depay has spoken about his desire to gain more minutes and will be looking to get back into action as soon as possible.

Do you think Memphis Depay could work for FC Barcelona on the left-wing? What is Barca’s best front line right now? Let us know in the comments.