Now the picture is entirely different since Quique Setien is trying to solve a problem that he did not expect to have: an abundance of options in advance.
The MSG trident are all fit
Before the break in the season, Barcelona was in a blur of concern with their attacking options. Ousmane Dembele’s long-term injury forced them to sign Martin Braithwaite in an emergency, while Luis Suarez was also absent after undergoing knee surgery. Now the picture is entirely different since Quique Setien is trying to solve a problem that he did not expect to have: an abundance of options in advance. With the MSG trident, Leo Messi, Suarez, and Antoine Griezmann all fit, it seems as if Braithwaite and Ansu Fati have to wait in the wings of chance. However, concluding by their performances in Barcelona’s opening two games back, both of them are difficult to leave aside. The lack of fitness and the pungency of the Suarez match allowed both Braithwaite and Ansu Fati to play since the resumption of the season.
Setien has the unenviable task of balancing minutes for the forwards
The former scored his first Barcelona goal against Real Mallorca before the latter scored against the opener against Leganes at the Camp Nou. Their shows and roles in two positive results mean that Setien has the unenviable task of balancing his minutes of forwards to avoid upsetting any of them. “All the attacking players that I have will rotate,” said the boss of Barcelona. “I hope that I can give them all the highest minutes possible”. Setien well means with his intentions to rotate his attacking players. But he will have problems with leaving players for big games. The first tournament fixture of their remaining matches is when they go to Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to play Sevilla.
Anyone who has left the starting lineup, for the most part, will not be happy. But Griezmann is one player who should not worry about it. The Frenchman has not been in top form in his last two appearances, but he seems to have the full confidence of his coach. For Setien, Griezmann is undroppable, even though he is not a prolific scorer in Barcelona’s colors. “It’s not easy to play there, but I appreciate other things,” Setien said about the former Atletico Madrid man. “Antoine does other things that are beneficial to us.”