Barca dilema: one spot for four players

Who will get the coveted spot up front with Messi & Neymar?

Gerardo Martino’s first team is still unknown. And taking into account that three days later against Barca will play the first leg of the Spanish Supercup against Atlético Madrid, it is unknown whether Tata Martino will keep a player in reserve or prefer to start the season with all his arsenal at his disposal.

What we do know is that is that throughout the new season, four players will be fighting for one spot: Cesc, Alexis, Pedro and Tello.

It can be assumed that if Messi and Neymar are able to play, the first team shirt will be theirs for the taking in the important matches. That leaves a free spot up front that will be shared between Alexis, Pedro, Cesc and Tello.

Of the four, Alexis has had the best preseason, but given the weakness of the Asian rivals and the fact that both Pedro and Cesc were injured, the preseason cannot serve as a benchmark for judgment of form nor fitness.

Fàbregas also has the clear advantage of being able to play in midfield. That means that Cesc’s, inclusion in the team won’t be just limited to the empty spot up front. Therefore, Alexis, Pedro and Tello will be the 3 that fight it out most for the position up front with Messi and Neymar.

Martino has given no clues about his intentions. He first needed to work with the squad and now he has to take charge of the club’s match schedule from now on in order to make the right decisions. This coming week will serve we are sure, to clarify some doubts.