On the face of it, we're about to learn something about the ability, character and talent of Luis Enrique's Barcelona squad while Lionel Messi is absent for at least two months. Who will step up to the plate, who'll be posted missing, and what "extra" will this bring out of the manager's repertoire? -- these are the types of questions that fans, media and other teams will be posing.
But I think there's a gaping opportunity to learn more about Messi himself.
Looking back to precisely a year ago and superimposing this "Messi-absent" template on Barcelona's performances from late September to late October, it's genuinely surprising to find that on paper only, the impact would have been very low.