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After three weeks of warm-up matches to get the players in shape ahead of next season, Barcelona have concluded their pre-season campaign and can look forward to their LaLiga title defence.
It was a tour that took them through three countries across three continents, with five matches played in total.
Apart from serving as a means of getting players conditioned and fit after their Summer breaks, pre-season also offers an opportunity to catch a glimpse of the tactical methods coaches might implement in the season proper.
In this piece, we shall be highlighting five observations from Barcelona's pre-season campaign.
#1 Ousmane Dembele could play a key role this season
Throughout Barcelona's pre-season campaign, it is hard to make a case for any forward having performed better than Ousmane Dembele.
The French international appeared in all five of Barcelona's fixtures, starting three and coming off the bench in two, and made an impression in almost every one of them.
In total, Dembele had one goal and assist each, but it was his overall attacking contribution that would have endeared him the most to Valverde.
The former Dortmund man showed a willingness to take on the responsibility and run at defenders, with his pace and directness helping the Blaugrana on occasions when they were pedestrian, while also tracking back to help out with the defensive duties.
This was the form that made Barcelona make him their record signing at the time of his purchase, and Valverde would have been very impressed with his overall display in the attack.
Just a few weeks ago, Dembele was not sure of being a Barcelona player this season and having underwhelmed so far in his injury-plagued Nou Camp stay, on the evidence of his form during pre-season, the 22-year-old could be ready to blossom into an important member of the squad this season if he stays injury-free...
#2 Luis Suarez is still the go-to man to lead the attack
Following a downturn in performance in recent years, many were of the opinion that Luis Suarez's time as an elite striker was up, and the club should seek an alternative if they are to mount genuine challenges on all fronts.
This was not just mere unfounded criticism, as valid points were backing this viewpoint up. For example, the Uruguayan's numbers in front of goal have nosedived compared to previous years, while his atrocious goals return on the continent over the last few seasons are not befitting a player of his calibre.
However, despite all that, Luis Suarez remains an elite striker, and he reminded everyone of his abilities at the Copa America.
He returned to Barcelona training later than others, but got right into the thick of things, scoring a late winner in his first match against Arsenal before going one further by grabbing a brace in the 4-0 demolition of Napoli, with his second on the night bringing back memories of the Suarez of old.
Despite Griezmann having had a headstart and appearing in all of Barcelona's fixtures, in just three matches, Luis Suarez still outscored him, reemphasizing the point that he is still a centre-forward of the highest quality.
#3 Frenkie de Jong could be a real hit at Camp Nou
Ernesto Valverde tried out over 25 players across Barcelona's five fixtures, and there was arguably no player who outperformed Frenkie de Jong.
The 22-year-old made a step up in his career from Ajax to Barcelona, and while many might have been fazed by the surreality of playing with such legendary players, Frenkie de Jong has taken it in his stride.
He has slotted in seamlessly to the Barcelona midfield and impressed all with his composure and technique on the ball.
Frenkie de Jong has a brilliant 'footballing brain', while also possessing the requisite close control, vision and ball distribution technique to succeed as a Barcelona midfielder.
Despite the fact that the Catalans paid €75m for his services, if the Dutch international continues with his trajectory, that fee would look minimal compared to the impact he would make.
#4 Sergi Roberto could be deployed in midfield this season
While it might come as somewhat of a surprise to the more casual fans, Sergi Roberto is not a natural right-back.
The 27-year-old was trained as a central midfielder in La Masia, and upon graduation to the senior team played in his natural position for sometime before an injury crisis saw him redeployed to the right flank of defence.
It was a role he excelled in, so much so that he has played there for the last number of years, even being preferred to a specialist right-back in the form of Nelson Semedo.
However, despite his seeming adaptation to his makeshift role, the Spanish international has not hidden his desire to return to playing in midfield, and Valverde has admitted to giving it some thought.
The 55-year-old seems to be making good on his promise, as he featured Sergi Roberto in midfield for three of Barcelona's five pre-season fixtures, starting him in the games against Napoli and Chelsea in the middle, while he entered the fray for Riqui Puig against Arsenal.
The current roster of midfielders at Barcelona is overstocked, and quite whether Valverde would add to a crowded department by pushing Sergi Roberto further upfield remains to be seen.
#5 La Masia still has the Midas touch in producing quality players
There is arguably no football academy that has produced as many world-class players as La Masia throughout football's annals. And the famed school became the first in history to produce all three Ballon d'Or podium finishers when La Masia graduates Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez all finished in the top three in 2010.
Much of Barcelona's success in the last 15 years has been founded upon a core of La Masia products imbibed with the history and DNA of the team.
Indeed, competition at the school was so intense that multiple world beaters had to leave to seek playing time elsewhere, but after that illustrious generation emerged in the middle of the last decade, not many have made the step up from La Masia to Barcelona greatness.
The last academy product to fully establish himself in the first team was Sergi Roberto way back in 2015, and this lack of promotion has led many to berate the quality of players churned out by La Masia in recent years.
However, to opine that is extremely harsh and devoid of current realities on the ground.
For starters, the increased commercialization of football and need for instant success means that the chances of young players being given opportunities to blossom are much slimmer today than say, a decade ago.
Secondly and perhaps more importantly, the last group of La Masia graduates are extremely difficult acts to follow.
Players like Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol, Pique and Busquets are not only legends in Barcelona, but also among the very best in their respective positions throughout history.
These are all generational talents, and Barcelona hit a pot of gold by having them blossom in and around the same time. Replacing such players is a difficult if not impossible task; La Masia product or otherwise.
Proof of this lies in the fact that the aforementioned six players all occupy a spot among the top eight players with the highest number of appearances in Barcelona's history, with Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets sure to displace Victor Valdez and Migueli from the top six.
So these factors meant the players produced by La Masia in the last five years had to leave to seek playing time elsewhere.
During pre-season, La Masia youngsters like Carlos Alena, Riqui Puig, Oriol Busquets, Carles Perez and Alex Collado were all given ample time to show their quality among the senior players and they did so exceedingly well.
They all showed signs of promise and impressed with their displays, laying credence to the fact that La Masia is still the top hub for the production of football talent.
