Without Lionel Messi, Barcelona have shown they’re more than a one-man team

Barcelona have been without their talisman and star player, Lionel Messi, for two and a half weeks, but have impressed in his absence.

Messidependencia is very real for Barcelona. Why wouldn’t it be?

When a team loses their best player, there are consequences, especially so when that player is Lionel Messi.

When the Argentine was forced off against Sevilla on Oct. 20 with a broken arm, Barcelona fans held their breath. They were two goals up 15 minutes at that point, thanks to a goal and an assist from the number 10.

The game eventually finished 4-2 in favor of the Catalans, but the warning signs were clear. Without Messi, they were overrun, and needed Marc-Andre ter Stegen to pull off some spectacular saves to secure what looked like it was going to be a routine win.

Who would step up for Barca in Messi’s absence? Would Luis Suarez be able to rediscover his goalscoring form? Would Ousmane Dembele finally show his quality on a consistent basis?

Barcelona had their toughest week of the season coming up: A vital home fixture against Inter Milan that could decide top spot in their Champions League group, and of course the small matter of El Clasico.

Fast forward to the present, and Barcelona are comfortable atop La Liga and their Champions League group, with Messi set to return to the starting XI.

They put in a controlled and calm performance against Inter, slowly but surely asserting their dominance, and were ruthless against their biggest rivals, Real Madrid.

In Messi’s absence, many of Barca’s big players have stepped up.

Jordi Alba, arguably the best player in all of Europe on current form, continues to bomb up and down the touchline, handing out assists to whomever is willing to accept them. Instead of Messi spraying passes to him, it’s now the player who has played the most games in all of Europe this season, Ivan Rakitic.

Considering how deep Croatia went in the World Cup, it’s ridiculous how consistently Rakitic completes 90 minutes for Barcelona. His importance to the team can hardly be overstated, and he has remained one of Ernesto Valverde’s most trusted men since he took over from Luis Enrique. With Messi out, Rakitic has been slightly more withdrawn, which has helped provide more balance to Barcelona’s play.

Gerard Pique is another big player who has suddenly stepped up for Barcelona. His form since the start of the season has come under major scrutiny, and for good reason. His uncharacteristic errors in successive games before Sevilla indicated a lack of concentration, and left fans wondering whether his best days were behind him.

But Pique showed up against Real. He’s never one to shy away from the spotlight, especially against Los Blancos, and it seemed in that game like he had rediscovered his fire for the sport. The number of times Pique bombed toward the opposing penalty box in search of a goal showed his desire to rub salt in the wounds of an ailing Madrid, and would have truly delighted Barca fans.

Still, for all the players who have stepped up in Messi’s absence — and you can add Suarez, who has five goals in three matches without his Argentine running mate, and Sergio Busquets to the list above — perhaps none has been more important than the manager.

Valverde’s appointment wasn’t met with the same excitement as that of Luis Enrique or Pep Guardiola. He was seen by many as another Gerardo Martino.

When Barcelona (only) won the double last season, and were knocked out of the Champions League in embarrassing fashion, it seemed to confirm a lot of the bias against Valverde. There were calls for his head, and many former players, including Thierry Henry and Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, were rumored as possible replacements.

But the critics didn’t account for the lack of quality in Barca’s squad; Guillem Balague called it their worst in the last 10 years, and it was hard to argue with that assessment. Additionally, Barcelona’s players were always quick to explain how much they liked and respected Valverde. He had them playing in a more balanced style, doing the best with what he had at his disposal.

And he did still deliver a league and cup double.

Over the summer, Valverde and Barcelona strengthened in key areas. Malcolm was signed to spark some life into Dembele, which he most certainly has. Dembele isn’t short of critics, and has constantly been linked with a move away from Barcelona, but his stats this season really do speak for themselves. He already has six goals and two assists this season, after finishing last season with four and seven respectively.

At the back, Clement Lenglet was signed to add more competition for the starting places, and while Samuel Umtiti continued his fine form from last season, his injury threw Lenglet into the mix sooner than expected. Since his introduction into the team, Lenglet has performed with maturity and poise.

Barca’s biggest summer signing, however, has been the Brazilian midfielder, Arthur.

He has practically walked into the team, and seems to be endearing himself to the Barcelona fans more with each appearance he makes. The notoriously hard-to-please Cules see him as the perfect Barcelona signing. He can pass the ball with ease, and is extremely effective holding the ball off defenders despite his size. Predictably, there have been comparisons to Barcelona legend Xavi. Those may be premature, but Xavi himself has been full of praise for Arthur, an indication of what he has brought to the team.

Valverde deserves at least partial credit for all of this. He has backed players like Suarez and Rakitic despite claims they’re past their peaks. He has improved Nelson Semedo, brought Sergi Roberto back to his best and allowed Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Malcolm to take their time adapting to Barca’s style.

Even Arturo Vidal, who earlier in the season indicated he was unhappy, has knuckled down and sought to fight for the team.

Valverde has worked out the perfect formula that allows healthy competition to breed among his players, while also not allowing any complacency. He has found the perfect balance between disciplinarian and mentor, and the Barcelona players are responding.

The Champions League is Barca’s biggest priority this season, and four wins out of four has more or less secured their place in the knockout rounds.

But the season is long, and while the return of Messi is imminent and welcome, fans will be pleased that they’ve shown such fight and togetherness in his absence. This sense of unity and is exactly what had been missing.

The future is suddenly starting to look bright again for Barcelona.