It seems that Barcelona are not exactly done completely with the ongoing season. While La Liga may seem like a long shot in terms of a title challenge, there is one other competition still left to compete for.
Up against Napoli in the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona will have to bring their best football. However, there is a certain dilemma that must be solved first and foremost.
Within Barcelona, the most problematic region remains that of the frontline. Many of the Blaugrana forwards are currently injured and unavailable, and to ensure that their absence is not felt, Xavi has deployed several players out of their natural position.
One player who has become a great victim of this is Vitor Roque. However, beyond just being told to play out of position, SPORT highlights his poor performance against Celta Vigo as a consequence of just how he was deployed.
Playing as a left-winger, he seemed to suffer due to Robert Lewandowski getting most of the service as the main striker. In fact, SPORT highlights that Roque is almost always unable to play his best football alongside the Pole.
Even though his goals have coincidentally come in the games when they have played together, they usually always come as a result of his central runs. That area is usually occupied by Lewandowski, and this limits the amount of attention Roque receives there.
Against Celta, for instance, Roque was rather poor on the attacking front. He completed 8 out of the 12 passes he attempted, had 0 shots on target, and won only 2 of the 6 duels that he contested. This display must have done nothing to boost his confidence, especially as he had just begun to regain his scoring touch it seemed.
For the upcoming game against Napoli, Roque’s chances of starting are slim. With Lewandowski continuing his fine goal-scoring form and Lamine Yamal almost being untouchable, it will likely either be Raphinha or a fourth midfielder who completes the attacking trident in Naples.
