Analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of FC Barcelona ahead of the 2018/19 season

#1 The squad still lacks in physicality

Paulinho often bulldozed his way into the penalty box

Barcelona have got a great collection of technically brilliant players. So when they signed Paulinho last summer, a lot of eyebrows were raised for spending €40 million on a 29-year-old.

Paulinho would often bypass the opposition midfield with his strength and stamina and came up with a lot of crucial goals last term. Though he wasn't a player who fit the Barcelona mould, his presence often provided something different in attack.

A box-to-box midfielder, Paulinho contributed 9 goals last season, with powerful running and good movement into the box. In what turned out to be a shock move, the former Tottenham Hotspur man returned to China at the beginning of this transfer window.

The only silver lining has been the signing of Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich. The fee is believed to be in the region of around €19 million, which is quite cheap in today's market.

Although, Vidal is the perfect replacement for Paulinho but, the lack of more such physical players is a disadvantage both for attacking and defending set-pieces.

Football as a game has always been evolving and therefore having both physicality and technicality is important in this day and age. The Barcelona faithful will certainly hope that this doesn't become a long-term issue and is sorted quickly.