Shortage at left back for Barcelona?

FC Barcelona have confirmed that Adriano will be out of the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup and will also be doubtful for next weeks La Liga season opener against Bilbao

The injury has been ruled as a groin injury and It will be a big blow to Barcleona as they are already missing starter Jordi Alba, due to an injury, and now Adriano. 

Jeremy Mathieu will likely be the starter at left back. The Frenchman has shown his ability to be a versatile player and that will be a big boost to the Catalans. He might not be as fast as Alba is but he can surely defend the left well and will provide some support for the wings and can pass exceptionally for a big man.

The offense is not the same as Barcelona will be use to but expect Matheiu to be in the starting lineup. He struggled against Sevilla but expect him to rebound against Athletic

Last season at Barcelona for Adriano?

This may be Adriano's last season at Barcelona and missing out on key games is not what he would want. He has been heavily linked to Roma with the Serie A club seem keen on signing him as they have even terminated Ashley Cole's contract and the Brazilian seems keen on the move to Italy as well. 

Barcelona have offered a contract extension to Adriano has he looks for more playing time, reports say, however, that he has declined the offer and looks to move very soon. 

The wise thing for Barcelona is to sell him to Roma in January. That way they will have a replacement ready in Aleix Vidal. Barcelona could sell him now but they will have the likes of Mathieu and Grimaldo to back up Jordi Alba.

Both are good players but what made Adriano better was the fact that he could play on the right and back up Dani Alves as well. Matheiu cannot play right back and Grimaldo is too inexperienced for La Liga right now. Vidal offers that versatility and can play on both wings. Waiting until the embargo has been lifted will be the best move for Barcelona. 

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About the author
Vijay Vemu
Vijay is a sports journalist who covers mainly the NBA and soccer. He is a credential reporter on the Chicago Fire and also covers NBA for VAVEL as well. He is also a editor for Mash Chicago, the publication of the Chicago Tribune. He is also a contributor at SB Nation's Blog A Bull and Big East Coast Bias as well as writing on European Soccer as well. He plans on attending the University of Illnois at Chicago (UIC) in the fall with a major in computer science. You can follow him on Twitter : @VJVemu