Barcelona Seem Lost: Can Messi and Griezmann Find The Club A Way Out?

I don't understand Barcelona right now. The club is in a weird state with a multitude of problems. Aging stars, young talent that hasn't lived up to their potential, and a once in a lifetime talent nearing the end of his dominance. Barcelona had a lot of questions to answer this summer and it's safe to say they barely answered any of them.

Griezmann Griezmann Griezmann

So for starters let's get one thing straight. The signing of Antoine Griezmann is HUGE. The French star joined Barcelona this summer for $133 million which stretched Barca thin. Barcelona was looking fire as they boasted a front three of Griezmann, Coutinho, and Messi with the possibility of Luis Suarez playing in the #9 role in front of the three forwards.

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Griezmann is an excellent investment because he can thrive in Barcelona's possession and high-press system. A versatile player who can play a multitude of positions, Griezmann brings more than experience to the table. Even so, Barcelona invested in a player that I think embodies the club philosophy. On the other hand, a recent investment in someone who doesn’t embody that philosophy is at the forefront of debate and is the recipient of an array of abuse that isn’t quite as warranted as you’d think.

Dembele Needs A Quick Exit

Ousmane Dembele, one the world's most expensive youngsters joined Barcelona for $138 million and since then he's been on the fringes of the squad. The 22-year-old Frenchman made a name for himself at Borussia Dortmund but what happened? Nothing happened. He just doesn't thrive in Barca's system.

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For me, Dembele is a player that thrives in a counter-attacking system in which he can use his pace. Barca's possession heavy approach in which they break teams down makes it hard for Dembele to break and create runs in behind the opposing defense. On the break, Dembele is extremely dangerous which is why I wanted to see him at PSG considering he'd be paired with country-man Kylian Mbappe whos blistering pace has put him at the forefront of football itself.

It is quite simple when you think about it. Perhaps, I'm making excuses for Dembele because he's young but my reasoning above really isn't that far-fetched. Here's where I think Dembele would thrive.

Bayern Munich

Now I know that Bayern likes to have the ball and dominate games but hear me out. Bayern boasts two young wingers in Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry who have both emerged as stars at the German giants. Not only does Bayern need more depth at the winger position, but Bayern has also had a series of wingers emerge as legends at the club in Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery and both are no longer with the club. Could Dembele join Coman and Gnabry as the next generational wingers to wear the Bayern shirt? Why not?

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Dembele, even if he came off the bench would be a massive weapon that Bayern would wield to it's fullest potential. His pace on the right or left-flank would not go to waste and he would grow under club legends such as Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski.

Bayern could use him, the question is… are they willing to pay top dollar for him?

Liverpool

Now, this is a club that can bring teams to their knees with counter-attacking play. The trio of Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah, and Sadio Mane is a front-three fresh off a Champions League title and they’re capable of punishing any team on the break (just ask Barcelona).

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Dembele would thrive under his former manager, Jurgen Klopp, and he'd take full advantage of Liverpool's style of play. If any of Liverpool's front-three leave for bigger clubs, Dembele would be a great investment. And even if they stay for the remainder of their careers, Dembele would add depth which is much needed in my opinion. 

Manchester United

 Ah, Manchester United's attack was on full display on Monday at Wolves. And if one thing is for sure, they need a right-winger. Daniel James got his first start on the right flank and struggled throughout the game. It was clear that for now, he's most effective off the bench. I think that Jadon Sancho would be a perfect fit but if he evades United once again, they could turn to Dembele.

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For His Own Sake

So Dembele should leave for both his sake and the clubs. He started on Thursday against Athletic Bilbao in Messi's absence. Barca went on to lose 1-0 and Dembele picked up a hamstring injury which will sideline him for 4-5 weeks. So Dembele is picking up right where he left off and that freaking sucks.

I'm not mad at him I just want to see him thrive. When he's at his best he's one of the most exciting players on the planet.

A Trio of Poor Investments

So after signing Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie De Jong this summer, Barca has delt Malcolm to Zenit St. Petersburgh and Coutinho to Bayern Munich in a loan move. So why hold onto Dembele? Is it because no club is willing to pay for him? Is it because they'll only use him to land Neymar? Or is the club to stubborn to lower their ridiculous asking price?

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I'm going with all of the above. Dembele is out of place in Barcelona and he needs to go. It seemed like his best option to leave was when Barca was trying to swap him, Coutinho, and cash for their former Brazilian star. Why PSG didn't bite is beyond me. There were reports that PSG was more focused on recovering the money spent on Neymar rather than players but Barca simply didn't have the money at hand.

Barca had to take out loans just to pay Griezmann so it's safe to say that they didn't have upwards of $200 million floating around. Regardless, offering up Dembele and Coutinho seemed like a deal that PSG would be stupid to pass up. Why they wanted money instead of young stars is utterly mind-boggling. Coutinho would add some much-needed depth to the center of the pitch and Dembele would go head to head with the likes of Angel Di Maria and Pablo Sarabia for playing time on the widths.

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PSG is Stupid as Hell

One thing I haven't been able to wrap my head around is why PSG is so reluctant in letting Neymar go. He's yet to feature for PSG this season and it doesn't seem like he wants to be at the club at all. PSG’s priority should be keeping Kylian Mbappe at the club. Adding Dembele and Coutinho would have been big while at the same time the club would be ridding themselves of a toxic player in Neymar.

So I don't want to get off track. This piece was supposed to be solely about Dembele but there's so much going on around him that it's hard to ignore it all. Let’s end by taking it back to Barcelona.

Only Time Will Tell

So what the hell is going in Barcelona? Their investments in Malcolm, Dembele, and Coutinho didn't pan out at all but hopefully, the signings of Griezmann and De Jong plug some holes. The squad is old no doubt about it. The likes of Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Suarez, Rakitic, and even Messi himself are all over 30.

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Barcelona has a crucial stretch ahead of them. Don’t get me wrong this team can win the Champions League but can they get the best out of Messi's last few prime years with their current squad? And can they build a team that can carry on Barca's legacy once he's gone? I have no idea to be honest, but if one thing is for sure… Real Madrid isn't the only Spanish giant with a multitude of questions to answer.