For the first time in the last six seasons, Barcelona are playing without their talisman Lionel Messi…
For the first time in 17 years, FC Barcelona are playing without their talismanic forward Lionel Messi who moved to France to join PSG after his contract ended with the Spanish club this summer.
A Messi-less Barcelona side kicked off their 2021/22 LaLiga season on August 15, 2021, against Real Sociedad. The Catalan side registered a convincing 4-2 win over the minnows to begin their La Liga campaign.
So far they have played six matches in the league and have managed to remain unbeaten. Barcelona have won three games and drew thrice in this season so far. With 12 points from six outings, they are sixth on the league table, five points behind arch-rivals and league leaders Real Madrid but with a game in hand.
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Messi’s departure from the club was definitely a huge blow for the Spanish giants considering the stature of the Argentine star and the influence he had on the pitch. But even without their talisman, the Catalan club have not had a bad start as expected. In fact, Barcelona have had a better start to their season after the six matches in terms of points compared to the last two seasons.
In 2019/20, Barcelona had managed to collect 10 points from their first six games, while in last season, they managed to register only eight from the first matches. In the last five seasons, when Messi played for the club, Barcelona had managed to win all their first six matches only in the 2017/18 season. In 2016 and in 2018, Barcelona had 13 points after their first six matches which is just one more than their current campaign. In the last six seasons, this is the second time Barcelona have not suffered a defeat by this stage.
Here, we take a look at how Barcelona have fared after their first six matches in the last six seasons.
Season: 2016/17
| No. | Match | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona 6-2 Real Betis | W | 3 |
| 2 | Athletic Bilbao 0-1 Barcelona | W | 3 |
| 3 | Barcelona 1-2 Alavés | L | 0 |
| 4 | Leganés 1-5 Barcelona | W | 3 |
| 5 | Barcelona 1-1 Atlético Madrid | D | 1 |
| 6 | Sporting Gijón 0–5 Barcelona | W | 3 |
| Total point | 4W, 1L, 1D | 13 |
Season: 2017/18
| No. | Match | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona 2-0 Real Betis | W | 3 |
| Alavés 0-2 Barcelona | W | 3 | |
| 3 | Barcelona 5-0 Espanyol | W | 3 |
| 4 | Getafe 1-2 Barcelona | W | 3 |
| 5 | Barcelona 6-1 Eibar | W | 3 |
| 6 | Girona 0-3 Barcelona | W | 3 |
| Total point | 6W, 0L, 0D | 18 |
Season: 2018/19
| No. | Match | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona 3-0 Alavés | W | 3 |
| 2 | Valladolid 0-1 Barcelona | W | 3 |
| 3 | Barcelona 8-2 Huesca | W | 3 |
| 4 | Real Sociedad 1–2 Barcelona | W | 3 |
| 5 | Barcelona 2–2 Girona | D | 1 |
| 6 | Leganés 2–1 Barcelona | L | 0 |
| Total point | 4W, 1L, 1D | 13 |
Season: 2019/20
| No. | Match | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Barcelona | L | 0 |
| 2 | Barcelona 5-2 Real Betis | W | 3 |
| 3 | Osasuna 2-2 Barcelona | D | 1 |
| 4 | Barcelona 5-2 Valencia | W | 3 |
| 5 | Granada 2-0 Barcelona | L | 0 |
| 6 | Barcelona 2-1 Villarreal | W | 3 |
| Total point | 3W, 2L, 1D | 10 |
Season: 2020/21
| No. | Match | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona 4-0 Villarreal | W | 3 |
| 2 | Celta Vigo 0-3 Barcelona | W | 3 |
| 3 | Barcelona 1-1 Sevilla | D | 1 |
| 4 | Getafe 1-0 Barcelona | L | 0 |
| 5 | Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid | L | 0 |
| 6 | Alavés 1-1 Barcelona | D | 1 |
| Total point | 2W, 2L, 2D | 8 |
Season: 2021/22
| No. | Match | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona 4-2 Real Sociedad | W | 3 |
| 2 | Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Barcelona | D | 1 |
| 3 | Barcelona 2-1 Getafe | W | 3 |
| 4 | Barcelona 1-1 Granada | D | 1 |
| 5 | Cádiz 0-0 Barcelona | D | 1 |
| 6 | Barcelona 3-0 Levante | W | 3 |
| Total point | 3W, 0L, 3D | 12 |
