Lionel Messi is being constantly being let down by his Barcelona teammates this season, despite his individual brilliance.
That's the troubling perspective of a compilation which shows the sheer number of chances Messi has put on a plate for his teammates in 2020/21 - only to have them fail to finish off his skilful set-up play.
It's certainly a long way since Barcelona's days of Luis Suarez, Neymar and Messi when a lethal front three worked in total co-operation with one another.
Unfortunately, Ousmane Dembele is front and centre with a lot of the shots fired either wide or right down the goalkeeper's throat.
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The France international's form has actually improved this year after his £100+ million move to Barca in 2017. But he's still lacking a clinical touch in front of goal and he spurned numerous, Messi-created chances in Barca's 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain that saw them exit the Champions League 5-2 on aggregate.
Aside from a missed penalty, Messi was sensational in that game, but Barcelona's only goal came when he fired in a thunderbolt from 25 yards.
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And the team's dependency on Messi has been a big problem, even as the 33-year-old has rediscovered his very best form.
Against Huesca on Monday night, Messi was again unplayable as he scored a sensational solo goal.
However doubts remain about whether his attacking teammates are on the same wavelength as the Argentine genius.
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Messi boasts 21 goals in 25 La Liga games this season - but "only" seven assists. You get the feeling the number would be far higher if the likes of Dembele and Antoine Griezmann were converting their chances at a better rate.
As it is, the French duo have just 10 La Liga goals combined this season (seven for Griezmann, three for Dembele) and Barcelona's worrying Messi-dependency goes on.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Barcelona, Lionel Messi, La Liga