3 Key factors that could restore Barcelona’s European supremacy this season

#2 Upgrades in midfield

One of the biggest reasons for Barcelona's lack of goals in Europe has been their ageing midfield, with Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic being shadows of the players they once used to be. With Iniesta gone too, a creative playmaker was something Barcelona had been craving for, and that's exactly the void Frenkie de Jong has been brought in to fill.

Last year's signing Arthur Melo was quick to endear himself to the fans, but he only could shine in patches because of injuries and a lack of consistent game time. Arthur and de Jong are both technically gifted, have great ball control, and can pick out passes from midfield, something that both Busquets and Rakitic were known for. But, complacency and below-par performances from both of them cost Barca in many games last season.

With their decline, the new creative spark offered by de Jong and Arthur is exactly what's needed to stir up the midfield. Besides these two, young La Masia products Carles Alena and Riqui Puig, who featured heavily in pre-season this time, are also expected to offer Busquets and Rakitic competition for the starting places in the team.

One important factor to note would be that Barca was defensively caught out many times last season, for instance, in the games against Liverpool and Manchester United due to Busquet's declining ability to hold the ball and quickly release passes during transitions from defence to attack. To gain midfield control, Messi often had to drop deep to help out, and that made him less effective and isolated Suarez upfront. With the addition of de Jong, that is less likely to happen, thus making Messi much more dangerous in areas around the box.

The stability of midfield brought by these new, young talents, along with the experienced Rakitic and Busquets, could make the frontline much more threatening and unleash the full force of Messi-Suarez-Griezmann.

Edited by Sai Teja