Is this the worst Barcelona squad of the decade?

Even before Lionel Messi had completed his hat-trick to seal another La Liga title for Barcelona, they were in showboating mood.

His third, which finally put hosts Deportivo La Coruna to the sword, was vintage Messi. He accelerated in a seemingly effortless manner through the heart of the defence before planting the ball into the corner of the goal. It was simple brilliance, the type of which Barca have become renowned for over the last decade.

Before then, they had scored a couple of more elaborate goals. Suarez scooped a brilliant cross for the little Argentine to convert in the first half, while eight minutes from time the same duo combined brilliantly in the box to score what proved the goal that won the crown back from Real Madrid.

But it’s not all been like this since head coach Ernesto Valverde took over last summer.

The 54-year-old has been not played the champagne football of the Pep Guardiola years, nor has he come close to replicating Luis Enrique’s attractive side, leading to questions over the quality of the squad in comparison to these great eras.

Instead, he has been forced to take a more pragmatic look at how Barcelona could win. Neymar was sold unexpectedly last August, triggering a dramatic transfer window scramble to sign Ousmane Dembele, whose injury problems have prevented him from making the impression that both he and his coach would have wished.

Philippe Coutinho was finally captured from Liverpool in January to add some fantasy to the team, but he is still to fully adapt to life at Camp Nou, where fans have been forced to settle for a more pragmatic brand of football.

But as Barcelona showed in seeing off Depor at the Riazor last weekend, pragmatic is very much a relative term when discussing such a club.

“We have been a competitive, compact team and we have overcome many difficulties, and in moments I know it has lacked brilliance,” the coach admitted after the title win.

If they have lacked shimmer at times, this Barca vintage has achieved something that no other team in the history of Spanish football has done before: they have won the league title without losing a single game. With only four matches of the season remaining, they may well negotiate the entire league season undefeated, an unprecedented achievement and one that is worthy of terrific respect.

All the more remarkable, given the supposed question marks over this side’s quality, they may well break the 100-goal barrier for the season. They have fixtures against Real Madrid, Villarreal, Levante and Real Sociedad to score 13 more times. It is a difficult task, but certainly not one beyond them, particularly given that their only away fixture is in Levante.

It has been an emphatic answer to Real Madrid winning the title last year and underlines the dominance that Barca enjoy domestically. They have now won seven league titles to their opponents’ two, proving that when it comes to consistency, no team has been able to get close to them.

Claims that this side are more reliant on Messi than any other in recent years are off the mark. Perhaps offensively that is the case, but never before have Barcelona needed their defence to be as solid as it has been this season.

Indeed, in terms of goals conceded, they are on course for one of their best years in the recent Golden Age.

This cannot be considered the sign of a squad lacking quality, despite the meltdown against Roma that saw them eliminated from the Champions League and is set to unfairly tarnish an otherwise formidable season.

Following Sunday’s victory, Valverde admitted: “I have not invented anything, in the end these players have already won titles and leagues with other coaches. It’s more of them than the coach.”

He downplays his achievements too much, but there is little doubt that what his squad have achieved deserves the record books.

This may not be the best Barcelona team of recent years, but its record shows that it is certainly not the worst.

Perhaps, however, they are the most human.