Low-cost signings look good, but how will Barcelona fare without Lionel Messi?

Any discussion about FC Barcelonas prospects for the coming season is bound to be conditioned by last weeks news that Lionel Messi has left the club after Barca were unable to fit his new contract into their wage structureThe news not only brings an end to Messis 21 years at the club robbing Barca of their top scorer and assist provider in one go but is also a further blow to the clubs troubled financesIt is also a massive blow to Barcas morale but if coach Ronald Koeman is able to organise his team well and the team is not badly affected by injuries it may not be a fatal oneKoeman continues for a second year at the Camp Nou after a difficult first campaign and probably kept his job thanks to his excellent work with young players such as midfielder Pedri central defender Ronald Araujo and midfielder Ilaix Moriba who broke into the side at the end of last seasonAraujo looked to be the solution to the clubs defensive issues but suffered too many injury problems while Ilaixs brief career now threatens to be derailed by disagreements over his new contract which has seen him relegated to the BteamMeanwhile Pedris season only finished on Saturday after the Olympic Games final put an end to a campaign that saw him play an incredible 73 matches He will need a holiday before even starting a preseason and will miss at least the first three games of the new campaign while Koeman will be crossing his fingers the youngster doesnt suffer from burnout in the coming monthsAlthough Barcelona president Joan Laporta has adopted a low cost transfer policy over the summer Barca appear to have signed well with strikers Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay joining on free transfers There will be doubts about 33yearold Agueros fitness but not about his goalscoring ability while Depay and Koeman have already worked successfully together with the Dutch national teamAntoine Griezmann will have to step up in the wake of Messis departure but he enjoyed a decent season under Koeman last year and an attack of Aguero Depay and Griezmann should worry most sidesPerhaps the key thing will be how and when Ansu Fati returns after missing nearly all of last season with his knee ligament injury which has taken much longer than expected to recover from If Ansu gets back to fitness and the form he showed before his injury then Barca will hope he can take on the difficult mantle of being the new MessiBarca have also signed well in defence with central defender Eric Garcia returning from Manchester City and wingback Emerson moving from Real BetisGarcia is a classy player who the club see as the longterm replacement for Gerard Pique while Emerson is a strong addition down the right who will be especially important if Koeman continues to play with three central defendersElsewhere Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets remain key players although Koeman will hope that they can ward off the advancing years for another season while Frenkie de Jong will need to continue progressing in midfieldMeanwhile with Miralem Pjanic likely to leave before the end of August the pressure will be on Pedri to reproduce last seasons form and maybe this could be the year Riqui Puig finally breaks into the team while 18yearold Yusuf Demir has also impressed in preseasonWith Barca clearly at a delicate moment after Messis shock departure and fans not entirely convinced by Koeman much could depend on how Barca start the season If they start well there is no reason they cant challenge in La Liga against rivals who look no stronger than last year but if they get a poor start expect to hear knives being sharpened at the Camp Nou