Time is ticking for Koeman to address Barça's problems

Despite being a pre-season match with several notable absentees against a side in better physical condition, Barça's performance against Salzburg left cause for concern. Barça did not play well. It is as simple as that. They conceded twice, but could have conceded five on another day. The team were vulnerable in defence and looked unconvincing when playing out from the back.

There are 10 days to go until the start of the season. Sunday's Joan Gamper Trophy will be the team's last pre-season match before the LaLiga season begins. This means that Ronald Koeman will barely have a week of training with the full first team squad (with Messi due to sign imminently). Emerson, Aguero and Coutinho will start training with the squad on Friday.

After a pre-season training camp in Germany, and having played against an opponent who will play a Champions League qualifier in a few days' time, Barça did not look up to scratch. The alarm bells shouldn't be ringing just yet, but there are some aspects that Koeman and his coaching staff need to address in the coming days.

MISPLACED PASSES WHEN PLAYING OUT FROM THE BACK

This is something that can happen in pre-season matches, although these mistakes are usually ironed out after the first couple of friendlies. Barça did not look comfortable playing out from the back in yesterday's match against Salzburg. They lost the ball in dangerous areas and misplaced various simple passes. Alba, Lenglet, Nico and Gavi, none of them are blameless in this regard. Not even Busi, who rarely makes these kinds of errors. Not only were the passes inaccurate, but there was a lack of movement and willingness to receive from their teammates. Salzburg's high press choked Barça's back line, and Koeman's players were unable to find a way through it.

DROPPING BACK AND LACK OF A TACTICAL PLAN

When Barça had to drop back to deal with Salzburg's rapid transitions, they showed several shortcomings. Particularly in the middle of the park, which proved to be a constant nightmare for the back line. All of Salzburg's chances came through the middle third, and were it not for Okafor's missed chances they would have put Barça to the sword in the first half. Barça cannot afford to split their centre backs to such an extent when their midfield is unable to cover for them. This chain of errors needs to be nipped in the bud.

LACK OF FRESHNESS AND IDEAS IN DANGEROUS AREAS

This is perhaps the least concerning aspect. Of course, the players have been undergoing tough double sessions during their stay in Germany and this tiredness will be reflected in the matches. It is usually in the final third of the pitch, when the player needs to lift their head and pick out a key pass, that this fatigue becomes most apparent. The team showed a lack of ideas in the final third. There was a lack of interplay and a frustrating inability to get free from their markers (Memphis wasn't quite 'on it', while Griezmann worked hard as always but failed to leave his mark on the game). The decision making needs to improve soon. Sergiño Dest reached the byline on a number of occasions but didn't know what to do once he got there.

This should soon improve with the reduced workload in training and the reintroduction of other players following their post-tournament breaks.

LEADERSHIP

The team also appears to be lacking in leadership. Against Salzburg, the only player who got angry and tried to motivate the side was Ronald Araujo. While this might seem like a trivial matter, it is important to have a couple of figures in the side who can motivate and encourage their team mates when they're going through a bad spell.