The lack of leadership leaves Barça aimlessly

Messi leaves the field after being sent off in the final of the Super Cup.Juan Jose Ubeda / GTRES

It happened in 2008 in a central Barcelona store under the umbrella of the Nike brand, sponsor of Puyol and Piqué.

"How about Geri?" A journalist asked the new Barça center-back, who had just returned from United.

"What Geri or what the hell?" Puyol released from behind to cut the conversation.

Although the captain was unfortunate because he did it in a bad way, the intention was none other than to protect the new one in a captain's reaction.

Something that is missing in this Barça, now that Piqué himself is injured, the other bracelets are not very communicative: Messi, Busquets and Sergi Roberto.

And the absence of a rising voice and leadership over the locker room takes its toll on the team.

“We have poorly defended the goal plays.

We need to speak.

When the ball goes out or when you have to start running, someone has to shout, which sometimes happens and sometimes not.

Every game is the same, ”Griezmann lamented after signing two goals but falling to Athletic in the Super Cup (2-3), a player who claims authority while giving everyone a Louis Vuitton backpack as a Christmas gift.

Puyol's figure was defined at Wembley in 2011, when Barça won the Champions League and decided to give the honor of lifting the trophy to Abidal, a gesture of solidarity for his battle against cancer.

He was the foreman on and off the field, a figure that Luis Enrique wanted to absorb when he arrived at Barça.

"In my teams I am the leader," said the now coach.

But he had them with Messi and the dressing room joined as never before to play to the sound of the forwards (Neymar, Leo and Suárez), well led by a Xavi who was almost on the way out.

Then Iniesta took the bracelet, which convinced with the ball at his feet and with the word but more in consensus than as authority, until Messi arrived, without comparison with the ball although he limits his speeches in time and frequency.

Messi can miss two to three games

"Expelled for hitting an opponent with his arm, using excessive force ...", read the minutes on the expulsion of Messi, the first in 753 games with Barça.

Thus, since it is not aggression - from 4 to 12 games - it is assumed that the sanction will be two [minimum because he could not play the ball] to three games, and will start counting from this Thursday in the Cup against Cornellà.

The decision will be made today by the Federation Competition judge, Carmen Pérez.

"Leo speaks in the field because he sees things that others do not.

He is an absolute leader because when the ball reaches him, something always happens.

Cristiano enters a game and only thinks about winning, he forgets the rest and so he transmits it to everyone ”, resolved Pjanic in an interview with EL PAÍS, as he has shared a dressing room with the two footballers who have marked the last era of the planet football.

It happens that the changing room is frayed, initially conditioned by the express renewals of the directive to several players (Piqué, Lenglet, De Jong ...) who acted unilaterally to round up the salary deferrals that were applied to the squad.

And it shows, especially behind without Piqué;

Desbravado Lenglet, with Mingueza without doing and with the demand to the young Pedri and Ansu that they configure the game and define it together with Messi.

Task that De Jong wants on the grass but not outside, and that Ter Stegen claims before the micros, indicated by the fans as the figure captain for his degree of self-demand, professionalism and rising with the fans.

But on the day of the voting, he was far from the chosen ones.

With Messi sulking

The one who reigns is Messi by his own merits and votes.

It happens that in this course his relationship with the club is not the best.

He could even leave at the end of the exercise, angry that they did not let him leave the previous year when he requested it after the deadline.

No one doubts the

10's

commitment

to competitiveness and victory, but Koeman is required to fabricate leadership without being able to sign.

And

a Godín

will not come out

as Griezmann claims in his interior nor will Puyol return, but Barça needs a voice of command, nor that it is so that as the French attacker asks they tell them when to start running.

The club's mismanagement has left the team out in the open: there is no president, the captain doubts whether to continue and no one lends a hand to a coach whose continuity will depend on the elections.

Who takes responsibility in a locker room match between youth and veterans?

Barça is carried away by the current.