Saturday, September 25, 2021 at 10:04• Last update: 10:11

The fact that Memphis Depay failed to score on behalf of Barcelona against Cádiz last Thursday, despite three chances, has to do with the pressure on the shoulders of the the Dutch international, according to Wim Kieft. The former striker notes in his column for The Telegraph that more eyes have been on Depay since Lionel Messi’s departure.

Depay made the transfer from Olympique Lyon to Barcelona last summer on a transfer-free basis. Where he traded France for Spain, Messi went the opposite way for a contract with Paris Saint-Germain. Under coach Ronald Koeman, Depay is sure of a base place and has scored twice in five league games so far. Last Thursday, the ex-PSV player was unable to help Barcelona win against Cádiz. According to Kieft, the pressure on Depay and his teammates is growing now that good results are not forthcoming.

“As a player, you can hardly close yourself off from that,” Kieft said in the newspaper. “Especially because Messi is no longer there to take all the blows. It was always about Messi. Everything that went well, he got on his plate, but also everything that went wrong at Barcelona. Every ball from him was in the newspaper while his teammates played along relatively anonymously. Now the arrows are aimed at others and at the same time comparisons are drawn between Barca with Messi and without Messi.”

The pressure on trainer Ronald Koeman is great, while the outside world, according to Kieft, points to Depay. “He knows all eyes are on him in the post Messi era. Everyone sees him as a replacement for Messi. Don’t underestimate that pressure. That does something to you. Especially if you’re not in your best shape and you can’t make a difference. At Cádiz on Thursday evening, Depay should have scored three times, but he missed three imposed chances. That has to do with pressure, among other things. If Frenkie de Jong then receives another unjustified red card, it will all be a difficult story. Even for FC Barcelona with top players such as Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique and Marc-André ter Stegen.”