MADRID, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde will once again be in the spotlight when his side plays in Getafe on Saturday afternoon.
Barca have not started the season well, losing 1-0 in Bilbao and 2-0 in Granada, while only drawing 2-2 away to recently promoted Osasuna and although they recovered from last Saturday's shock defeat to Granada with a 2-1 win at home to Villarreal on Tuesday, the win far from convincing.
Even worse than allowing their rivals to stay alive in the game right up to the final whistle, was that Barca again lost Lionel Messi to injury as the Argentinian striker strained his left abductor muscle and was forced off after just 45 minutes of his first start of the campaign.
Messi won't be in Getafe and neither will left back Jordi Alba or central defender Samuel Umtiti, both of whom have physical problems. Meanwhile, Valverde has to decide whether he should continue with his 4-3-3 line-up without Messi, or switch to a 4-4-2, which would allow him to bring another midfielder into the side to try and exert more control against a rival that is one of the best organized outfits in the league.
Getafe's three strikers Angel Rodriguez, Jordi Molina and Jaime Mata are experienced and effective and will pounce on any defensive lapses from Barca, so perhaps bringing the aggressive Arturo Vidal into the side or giving Ivan Rakitic the chance to move the Barca midfield would limit Getafe's attacking options.
Valverde aside, most of the talk about Barca in the past days has centered on the sudden arrival of 16-year-old Ansu Fati on the scene and Fati certainly sparked life into Barca when he came on as a second half substitute of Tuesday.
Valverde clearly doesn't want to risk burning the youngster out, but so far the teenager has looked immune to pressure and it will be interesting to see if he starts on Saturday or whether Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann get the nod.
Barca follow their trip to Getafe with a Champions League game at home to Inter Milan and the outcome of these two games could go a long way towards deciding Valverde's future at the club.
