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Midway through the 2019-20 campaign Barcelona are on top of the LaLiga standings through goal difference, but they've been underwhelming in a number of big matches this season.
That is why, news of Ernesto Valverde's dismissal on Monday was greeted with widespread relief and happiness from Barca supporters. Many of them feel the Spaniard's tenure worsened with time and that the 55-year-old Spaniard should have been sacked a long time ago.
Their Spanish Super Cup defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid on Wednesday was their first loss across all competitions since 2 November against Levante, but ultimately to be proved the writing on the wall.
Despite speculation suggesting legendary midfielder Xavi was poised to take over this week, former Real Betis head coach Quique Setien has been appointed on a two-and-a-half year deal instead. The 61-year-old will make his debut at the Camp Nou, as Barca host mid-table Granada on Sunday night.
It'll be interesting to see how Setien handles such responsibility and power, as there will be multiple players keen to impress their new boss. These players would either be looking to earn more first-team minutes, or simply justify their worth in existing roles going forward.
Without further ado, here's a look at three players who could benefit from Setien's appointment:
Honourable mentions go to Moussa Wagué, who'll be pushing for Nelson Semedo's right-back berth, and Samuel Umtiti, who would be determined to make up for lost time after troublesome injuries saw his stock drop dramatically last season.
#3 Ansu Fati
This list wouldn't be fair without including Barca's record-breaker, Ansu Fati. The Spain under-21 international turned 17 at the end of October, yet proved that age is just a number with his brilliant UCL match-winner against Inter Milan last month.
That goal made him the youngest goalscorer in Champions League history. It also ensured Barcelona finished a tricky Group F unbeaten and more importantly with a morale-boosting victory before the knockout stages resume in late February.
By the time they travel to Napoli on 25 February, winger Ousmane Dembélé is expected to be back. He had sustained yet another hamstring problem on MD5, against his former club Borussia Dortmund.
Fati has only made two fleeting appearances since that evening in Italy: an impressive cameo during their goalless draw in El Clasico on 18 December, and a futile two minutes during the 3-2 defeat to Atletico last week. Given his current ability, Barca's creativity issues and their need for another dimension not named Messi, he deserves more.
Whether he'll get enough chances or not over the next month remains to be seen. But should he impress, there's no reason why he won't assert himself as a mainstay in what you expect to be a three-pronged attack alongside Messi and Griezmann, availability permitting.
#2 Arthur
It wasn't too long ago that Barca fans were heralding Arthur as the heir to Xavi's throne in midfield. With a fresh start under new ideas, there's no reason why the Brazilian cannot fulfil that potential - provided he stays fit.
His last outing was on 1 December, during Barcelona's last-gasp 1-0 away win over Atletico. The 23-year-old has only made 12 appearances (all comps) this term; troublesome injuries and inconsistency have seen him fall down the pecking order, in a team whose midfield seems both unorganized and vulnerable at times.
Barcelona have excellent individuals, but those have failed to truly mesh together as a collective unit. And there's no reason why Arthur's impending return cannot help them do that.
Comfortable in possession, Arthur is a confident ball-distributor who takes calculated risks under pressure as he roams through midfield.
Valverde urged him to get more involved with goals and assists in the final third - such are his creative abilities. But he also relishes putting in a defensive shift when needed, while being much younger than the inconsistent pair of Ivan Rakitic (31) and Arturo Vidal (32).
Recency bias means Frenkie de Jong is Barca's shiny new toy, after joining from Ajax for £67.5m last summer. Nonetheless, Arthur is slated to return soon, and that news comes at an opportune time; there's a new boss to impress as he aims to thrive at the business end of what has been a frustrating campaign so far.
#1 Antoine Griezmann
They say timing is everything in football, and that sentiment is perfectly fitting from Antoine Griezmann's perspective right now.
The 28-year-old forward has netted nine goals and created four more across 25 appearances in all competitions, but it's largely been a frustrating debut campaign with the Blaugrana thus far. That could all change in the second-half of this season.
With a £108m transfer fee on his back and already into his prime years, the World Cup winner hasn't exactly settled as quickly as planned. He isn't being deployed in his best position though, which goes some way towards explaining the struggles he's been forced to endure under Valverde's rigid tactics.
Griezmann's arrival was supposed to boost their devastating creative trident alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, but instead it has stifled progress while also acting as a frustrating reminder that Barca remain far too reliant on Messi.
Plenty was said about Suarez's physical decline but he was still scoring goals, linking up play well and being an influential presence in the final third. Having undergone knee surgery this weekend, he's now sidelined for four months - presumably the rest of 19-20 - and although that's a big blow, it also presents a golden opportunity.
Griezmann should now have the freedom to play in a centre-forward role. Importantly, he must prove he's their best option to replace what Suarez provides.
Whenever deployed on the flanks, Griezmann is either easily isolated or not effective enough. But under the new management, something has to change. After all, Messi can't keep doing it all by himself.
