5 things we've learned about Barcelona so far this season

After narrowly conceding the La Liga title to their eternal rivals Real Madrid last season, everyone expected a fitting response from Barcelona this season. And the Catalan giants have not disappointed us one bit with their performances this season, as they boast a commanding lead atop the league standings, with pretty much half of the domestic campaign still to play.

However, despite there being a sense of deja vu about Barcelona’s dominance over La Liga this season, this Barcelona side is radically different compared to any of its predecessors from the recent past.

As Barcelona stroll to domestic glory even with half the Spanish league season still to play, here are five things we've learned about them so far this season:

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#5 Marc-Andre ter Stegen is one of the best goalkeepers in the world

Marc Andre Ter-Stegen has been in fine form for Barcelona this season

Traditionally speaking, the role of a goalkeeper in football was simply to stop the opposition from scoring with the help of his hands. However, the beautiful game has evolved to the extent where ‘keepers are expected to be as good as outfield players with the ball at their feet.

Though this may not come naturally to some keepers, Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen is a different class altogether.

For, not only does the German international fit the bill as a traditional goalkeeper by being exceptionally good with his handling, he is equally adept and comfortable with his feet as well.

Moreover, given the kind of premium that Barcelona put on playing possession-based football, Ter Stegen is more than capable of setting the tone for Barcelona’s attacks with the kind of passing range that he possesses.

However, one of ter Stegen’s best attributes as a keeper is the kind of starting positions that he adopts, which then help him sniff out any possible counterattacks by the opposition. More importantly, this also helps Barcelona get away with the ridiculously high line of defence that they tend to play, at times during matches.

And the results have been there for all to see as the Blaugrana have conceded just seven goals in 18 league games so far this season.

With his impressive performances in goal in the first half of the season, ter Stegen has ensured that the defensive frailties that were once associated with Barcelona are officially a thing of the past.

And finally, if a player not only plays to his strengths but also covers up any possible weaknesses in the side, he ought to be a keeper! (pun intended).

#4 Samuel Umtiti is key to Barcelona’s newfound defensive solidity

Samuel Umtiti is touted to be the best central-defender Barcelona have had since Carles Puyol

There used to be a time when Barcelona had the good fortune of fielding Carles Puyol at the heart of their defence. However, ever since the former Spanish international hung up his boots in 2014, the Catalan giants have lacked a leader of men who can single-handedly organize their defence.

But finally after more than a year of trial and error, Barcelona seem to have found the perfect replacement for their former skipper and it’s come in the form of Samuel Umtiti. The 24-year-old was signed from Lyon for 25 million pounds in 2016 and less than two years later, he’s already proved to be one of Barcelona’s best signings in the recent past.

The Frenchman is a towering presence at the back for Barca and enjoys making a nuisance of himself for opposition strikers. Moreover, he loves throwing himself about for the team, just the way Puyol loved making his presence felt, back in the day.

Having made a mark for himself during his first season at the Camp Nou last season, Umtiti simply carried on from where he had left off this season, before his untimely injury.

And while it can’t be said that Barcelona have missed Umtiti during his time on the sidelines, given the kind of defensive solidity they’ve displayed during his absence, lets not forget the fact that Umtiti was the one who laid the foundation for incredible defensive record that Barca boast at the halfway stage of their league campaign.

#3 Paulinho is NOT Neymar and hence, is perfect for Barcelona

Paulinho has proved to a stellar signing for Barcelona

A lot was made of Paulinho’s move to Barcelona from Guangzhou Evergrande earlier this season, especially because his move to the Camp Nou came hot on the heels of Neymar’s world record transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, and no one saw the incoming Brazilian as an ideal replacement for the outgoing one.

Paulinho and Neymar may be compatriots, but that’s pretty much the only similarity between the two. And as far as the differences between the duo are concerned, for starters, Paulinho plays as a central midfielder, whereas Neymar played on the left-sided attacker along with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

And as a direct consequence of their respective playing positions on the pitch, their respective roles for Barcelona were radically different.

While Neymar’s primary task during his time at Barca was either to score or to assist Messi and Suarez in scoring, Paulinho has been brought in to add more steel to Barcelona’s midfield and protect Sergio Busquets.

While Busquets is undoubtedly the unsung hero in Barcelona’s midfield, the fact that the Spaniard is not the strongest player in the world physically is a well-documented one. And therefore, the addition of Paulinho to protect Busquets is easily understandable.

However, easily the most impressive aspect about Paulinho’s game this season has been how he has added goal scoring to his arsenal of skills.

Despite never being a natural goal scorer at any stage of his career before this, the former Tottenham Hotspur man has managed to pop up with 7 goals and 2 assists so far this season and this simply has to be the icing on the cake.

Paulinho and Neymar may be as different as chalk and cheese as far as their playing styles are concerned, but truth be told, the differences between the two run far deeper than that.

Simply put, while Neymar has always wanted to hog the limelight in whichever team he has featured in so far, Paulinho seemingly just wants to help his team do as well as they possibly can while staying as far away as possible from the spotlight.

It’s only been half a season since Neymar left Barcelona and Paulinho arrived at the Camp Nou, but going by what we’ve seen so far, the latter is nothing like the former, and Barcelona and their fans couldn’t be happier about that fact.

#2 Lionel Messi is the undisputed GOAT

Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the greatest player of all time

Now, let’s settle this debate once and for all: Lionel Messi is the greatest player of all time and the Argentine has proved his case for the umpteenth time this season. The fact that Messi is one of the greatest players of all time is well documented by the kind of numbers and stats that he has racked up over the years.

However, what makes him the undisputed god of football is his ability to step up to the plate when his team needs it the most. And this has most evidently been the case this season, than ever before and here’s why:

For starters, if Barcelona were to wrestle the La Liga title back from Real Madrid this season, they needed Messi to come to the fore for the umpteenth time and the Argentine has answered his team’s SOS once again.

Moreover, given the fact that Neymar left for PSG at the start of the campaign and that Luis Suarez is not the player he used to be, the onus was once again on Messi to come good for his team and he has done exactly that, especially when the stakes couldn’t have been any higher than they were, like in the Clasico.

To put Messi’s performances so far this season in perspective, in 18 league games, Messi has managed an astounding 16 goals and 8 assists, which is one of the main reasons why Barca pretty much have one hand on the league title with half the season still to play.

All those who still wish to believe otherwise are welcome to do so, but the fact of the matter still remains that there never has been and nor will there ever be another one like Lionel Messi, ever again.

#1 Barcelona have evolved since the days of Pep Guardiola

Barcelona have come a long way since the days of Pep Guardiola

They say it’s hard to improve perfection, but then again, they also say, change is the only constant in this world. And while both these ideologies may seem to be in contrast with each other, a look at Barcelona’s performances in the recent past helps you understand how they not only co-exist but also compliment each other.

Barcelona, under Pep Guardiola, were pretty much perfect. They followed the blueprint created by Johan Cruyff, put utmost emphasis on being in possession of the ball at almost all times and also almost won the ball under the stipulated six seconds, whenever they happened to give the ball away.

But for all the aesthetic qualities that Guardiola’s brand of football possessed, there were times during his tenure in charge of Barca wherein it felt like the now Manchester City manager took more pride in the means, rather than the ends.

That is, there were times wherein Guardiola prioritized playing football the ‘right way’, rather than getting the ‘right result’ and that is not necessarily the way modern day football works.

Football nowadays is far more about getting the desired results as a team, rather than playing the game in a certain way. And a few years after Guardiola’s time at the club, Barcelona have not only come to terms with this fact but have also perfected the art of finding a balance between the two.

The Barcelona that we have seen so far this season is one which still has Guardiola’s fundamentals at its core, however, they’ve also seemingly learned that there’s always more than one way to skin a cat. This ideology that was planted by Luis Enrique during his spell at the club and one that Ernesto Valverde has taken to a whole different level.

Yes, this Barca side put a high premium on having the ball at their feet, however, in the odd case wherein that move does not pay dividends, they don’t mind going long and it’s a habit which has certainly held them in good stead this season.

Simply put, Barcelona have always found a way to win matches this season by one way or another and that has always been the hallmark of a champion side.