November 7, Barcelona officially announced that Harvey took over as the team's new manager, however, take over the current Barcelona is not an easy task. Today, the world sports newspaper in-depth analysis of Harvey after taking office may encounter all kinds of challenges.
First of all, Barcelona's defense looks unusually fragile. Recently, Celta became the third team this season to score three goals against Barcelona in a single game, the first two being Bayern and Benfica. In 16 games, Barcelona has conceded 21 goals, conceding an average of more than one goal per game, with only four shutouts.
Secondly, Barcelona's offense is also full of problems. In 5 out of 16 matches, Barcelona failed to score, and the team struggled to create clear-cut chances. On the road, 7 games in the league and Champions League yielded a total of 8 goals.
Furthermore, Barcelona's away record is a cause for concern. Currently, Barcelona is one of five teams in La Liga that have yet to win on the road, with the remaining four teams in the relegation zone.
In addition, Barcelona has been dropping serious points at home. Having dropped 12 points in their first 15 games, the fortress of Camp Nou is no longer impregnable and many of the points lost should not have been there, such as the 4 points against Gnalada and Alaves.
What's more, Barcelona's psychological state is worrying. Once the team concedes the first goal, it is difficult for the team to recover the score, and the players tend to fall into confusion on the field, with frequent images of players arguing with each other in recent matches.
In addition, the team has a serious injury problem. Some 15 players have been plagued by injuries of varying degrees this season, most of which are muscular.
The lack of leaders is also a major problem for Barcelona. Since Messi's departure, Gerard Piqué has failed to step up and Frankie de Jong has not shown leadership qualities.
The team is in dire need of reinforcements and needs at least two players, especially inexpensive midfielders, to help the strikers score goals.
Xavi may have some decisions to make in the dressing room, such as the fact that Pique may not be up to starting standard and Busquets and Alba are not in top form.
The problems with Umtiti and Luuk de Jong cannot be ignored either, with a number of players sitting on the bench but yet to play or help the team substantially this season.
Finally, Harvey also needs to allocate playing time to young players wisely in order to avoid overexertion of players.
