5 changes Barcelona need to make next season

#3 Reduce dependence on Messi

Messi has been overused again by Valverde

Messi-dependencia is a reality even if the player/manager denies it. It is not an exaggeration to say that a large chunk of the credit for Barcelona's season should go to the Argentine maestro.

In 50 games this season, Lionel Messi got 51 goals and 19 assists, numbers that are the envy of the cream of world football. However, at certain times, the strain of being both creator and scorer has weighed him down and this, in turn, has affected the team's productivity.

Ousmane Dembele (injuries), Malcom (untrusted by Valverde), and the disappointing Philippe Coutinho and Luis Suarez failed to aid Messi in adding value to the team.

The Uruguayan striker got 21 goals in La Liga but it should have been much more given the plethora of chances he was presented with. It was worse in the UCL as he only got 1 goal in 10 appearances (Dembele got 3 in 8 games).

With news that Antoine Griezmann could be on his way to Barcelona, the burden for goalscoring/assists should reduce from Messi’s shoulders.

The Argentine will be a year older by the time the 2019/20 season ends so it would make sense for the team to be structured in a way that gets the best out of him while gradually reducing the dependence on him.