It’s no secret that Lionel Messi is good, really, really good. His stardom is what embodies Barcelona, and it’s no secret that his word bears some weight around the Nou Camp. There is a notion that Barcelona is a place where attacking midfielders and forwards alike have a chance to succeed and play in a beautiful system which produces brilliant football.
This, I would argue, is false. In the summer transfer window, the premier league has seen Luis Suarez head to the Nou Camp, with Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez coming in the opposite direction. For Suarez, a change of scenery and culture will probably help him, but when it comes to football he may be in for a bit of a surprise.
Since joining Manchester City from Barcelona, Yaya Toure has kicked it into another gear, showing a more diverse and free all-around game at the Etihad. At Barcelona, Toure was shackled by the constraints of the Barca way, but in the premier league is able to impose himself on the fast-moving and physical game that suits him the best.
Players to join the Catalan club from the premier league don’t always find their way in Spain either. Javier Mascherano has turned into a terrific center back, but his identity as a defensive midfielder shouldn’t be thrown under the table as he proved in Brazil for Argentina. Alex Song is another example, for he has rarely started and is often played out of position at center back too.
Cesc Fabregas was given the ultimate freedom at Arsenal to roam the pitch from box to box and create chances. At Barcelona, due to the presence of Xavi, Sergio Busquets, and Andres Iniesta, Fabregas was too often played as a winger or false nine in the absence of Messi.
Fabregas was still a good player for the Catalans, but his return to the premier league should be an exciting one for the creative midfielder. At Chelsea, Fabregas will surely feature more centrally alongside Nemanja Matic or Ramires. His positional dilemmas he experienced at Barcelona should be a thing of the past, because Jose Mourinho will put him on the field where he is the most dangerous.
After just one premier league game under his belt, the praises are already being laid upon Alexis, who looks freed from his sidekick role to Messi in Barcelona. The Chilean showed in the World Cup he can be devastating when given positional freedom, and has made a good impression on the Arsenal fans so far with his tricks, marauding runs, and creative awareness.
The balance of power in La Liga is very different from that of the premier league, and it’s a testament to Barcelona's commitment to their star player that so many top-class players are cast into his shadow. Luis Suarez was in a perfect situation at Liverpool; he was a rockstar, and now at Barcelona he arrives highly coveted but with a black cloud of shame over his head.
With Messi already the incumbent rockstar with his young sidekick Neymar at his side, Suarez is in danger of being shackled at Barcelona, just as Alexis, Fabregas, and Yaya Toure have been. Ultimately, the premier league is probably a better (and probably safer) place without the Uruguayan, but from a football point of view it’s a shame to see players limited so much when they move to the Catalan giants.
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