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After claiming both the LaLiga title and the Copa del Rey trophy during the previous campaign, Spanish champions FC Barcelona are back in action this season and they have come out even stronger, putting in incredible efforts and determination as they look to defend their domestic dominance and to conquer Europe as well.
The Catalan giants are currently sitting on top of the LaLiga table, having picked up 31 points from 15 games in the Spanish top flight and they were the first side to qualify for the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League - recording victories in their first four games in the tournament.
However, the cherry on the cake is that the Blaugrana are currently getting a lot of things right, which in turn has contributed to their impressive run so far during the term. Therefore, we take a look at four incredible things the Catalans are doing right during the campaign.
#4 Prioritizing the UEFA Champions League
Barcelona are well known for their mentality to treat every competition equal, but having failed to win the UEFA Champions League in each of the past three years and watching their arch-rivals Real Madrid rule Europe for three consecutive seasons, the Blaugrana have finally attached more priority to the tournament and it has come as a very good decision to their plans to conquer the continent this season.
Ernesto Valverde's men have been stand-out performers since the competition began this term, earning themselves a brilliant start with a 4-0 demolition of Dutch outfit, PSV Eindhoven in their opening fixture as well as following it up with victories against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Inter Milan.
The Catalans became the first side to qualify for the knockout phase of the Champions League this season, after picking up a whopping 12 points in their first 4 matches in the tournament while Lionel Messi has also been in an exceptional form with 6 goals to his name in just 4 appearances so far.
#3 Granting opportunities to young talents
La Masia, Barcelona's famous football academy that produced the likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, and Gerard Pique has been on the decline for a few years with Sergi Roberto being the only product to break into the first team since the Pep Guardiola era.
However, with what Ernesto Valverde has been doing with the youth players this season, we can expect the La Masia to come back to life and continue providing us exceptional young football talents who will play key roles at the club in the future.
The Spaniard has given a number of youth players senior team opportunities this term and his efforts have been rewarded with brilliant performances that have got the Blaugrana fans raving for more.
While all the young players have all impressed during their opportune moments, the likes of Denis Suarez, Carles Alena, and Ruqui Puig have dominated the headlines during the past few weeks and they offer something incredible for the future. Well done Valverde!
#2 Return to 4-3-3 formation
Following the departure of Neymar coupled with Ousmane Dembele's injury struggles last season, Barcelona decided to go for the 4-4-2 formation over their trademark 4-3-3 and it proved to be highly effective as they ran riot on their way to claiming both the LaLiga title and the Copa del Rey trophy during the term.
Having gotten all their players in a good shape and ready to fire on, the club decided to switch back to their famous 4-3-3 setup and it has come as a very interesting decision, with the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele and Malcom joining Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez up front to stimulate their attacking firepower.
This season, Barcelona have been playing more beautiful football, with fluidity and lots of attacking as they continue to unbalance opposition teams across all competitions and they will be hoping the 4-3-3 helps them to achieve more fortune as it did under Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique.
#1 Squad rotation
Barcelona have suffered from their failure to properly rotate players during the past few years, especially in the UEFA Champions League where they have failed to step beyond the quarterfinals of the competition in the last 3 seasons with a whopping part of the problem coming from fatigue to their first team players.
Following a successful transfer summer this year, the Catalans now possess incredible depth in their squad and Ernesto Valverde has been doing his best to manage his resources efficiently, giving rest to his key players in certain games and granting his reserve players the opportunity to prove themselves in other ones.
With this method, the manager has been getting the best out of his squad in recent weeks and despite injuries to certain players, the squad still looks alive especially as the reserve players are all impressing whenever they are called upon.
