How Junior Firpo's arrival has helped transform Barcelona into arguably the most complete team in Europe 

Despite initially spending €195m to bring both Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona, there was an overwhelming feeling that the Catalans' squad was still far from balanced.

The reason for this school of thought was not far fetched, as with under two weeks to go until the start of the new season, Barcelona still had only Jordi Alba as the recognized senior left-back in the entire squad.

This had been the same scenario for many years, and for a club of Barcelona's standing, it simply was not good enough, as the arduous nature of a European footballing season means that rotation is a priority to ensure freshness. Unfortunately though, Jordi Alba has not been afforded that luxury over the last couple of years.

Junior Firpo's capture from Real Betis helps modify this anomaly, as he would be rotated with Jordi Alba over the course of the season and suddenly Barcelona find themselves in an even stronger position to launch an attack on all three fronts.

They are very much covered in the goalkeeping department; Marc-Andre ter Stegen remains one of the finest goalkeepers in the world while new capture Neto is more than an able deputy and would be a guaranteed starter at many European clubs.

In front of them, for all of his detractors, there are not many finer centre-backs than Gerard Pique on the planet while his fanatic commitment to the Barcelona cause means he can always be counted on to give his all for 90 minutes. Alongside him is the ever-improving Clement Lenglet.

The pair have Samuel Umtiti for backup who with a World Cup winner's medal and almost 300 top-level appearances at club level is one of the most experienced defenders out there. He would even be staking a serious claim to regain his starting spot. There is also the 19-year-old Jean-Clair Todibo who barring catastrophic injury problems with the regulars should continue in his role as an understudy.

At right-back, Barcelona have the highly-rated Nelson Semedo whose value can be judged by the fact that Atletico Madrid made serious enquiries about his signature, while Sergi Roberto continues to impress in his makeshift role.

Jordi Alba would have cover at left-back

On the other flank, Jordi Alba ranks among the best in his position, but unlike previous seasons where he had no competition for a starting spot, Firpo's arrival, while reducing the workload on him, would also put him on his toes to give his all to retain his starting spot.

In midfield, Barcelona are blessed with an abundance of riches and there is no club in the world apart from Manchester City who have as much depth in the middle as the Blaugrana do.

In fact, the competition for places in midfield at Barcelona is so intense that head coach Ernesto Valverde has suggested that selling off some players before the close of the window is a distinct possibility.

An attack with Lionel Messi in its ranks already has an advantage over any opposition defence, and when you complement the Argentine's mercurial services with those of Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho, and Antoine Griezmann, you realize that you'd be hard-pressed to find a forward line as potent as Barcelona's.

Is there any club in Europe with more squad depth overall than Barcelona? Manchester City? Definitely. Juventus? Arguably. However, what cannot be denied is that Junior Firpo's arrival has made Barcelona more complete with at least one quality substitute in all departments and they would very much fancy their chances against anyone both domestically and in the continent.