"We’re doing really well now" - Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo details key improvement in squad from previous season

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo has highlighted one key improvement in the squad compared to the previous season following their brilliant run of form in recent weeks.

The Blaugrana have now won their last 11 games across competitions, giving them a reason to believe that they're now back to where they belong. It was another decent outing for Barcelona on Sunday (February 12), as they earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Villareal in La Liga.

Speaking after the game, Araujo cited the Bluagrana's improvement at the back as a key reason behind their rejuvenation.

“We have to continue in this form, with these positive results,” the centre-back said. "Last season, we were conceding goals too easily. We had to improve that, and we’re doing really well now. Our defensive record is the result of the hard work of the whole team. We’re closing the spaces in midfield.”

After beating Villarreal, Barcelona have now opened an 11-point lead over Real Madrid atop the Liga table. The Blaugrana have 56 points from 21 games, having recorded 18 wins, two draws and one defeat. Their arch-rivals, meanwhile, have 45 points in 20 games, winning 14 games, drawing three and losing as many.

Despite the comfortable lead, Araujo has urged the Blaugrana not to pay attention to other teams in the title race and instead focus on themselves:

“We have to focus on ourselves. We have to keep winning and not look at other teams in the table."

“I’m very happy with the win. It’s an important result, and I’m happy to have helped the team both in defence and attack,” he continued.

The defender, though, stressed that Barcelona need to get better at killing off matches, saying:

“We have to look to kill off the games earlier to be calmer.”

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Ronald Araujo's brilliant performance for Barcelona against Villareal in numbers

Ronald Araujo had another brilliant outing against Villareral.

The Uruguayan was one of the standout performers for the Blaugrana at the Estadio de la Ceramica on Sunday. The defender played the entire 90 minutes and earned a 7.6 rating from Sofascore.

Araujo made one clearance, one interception and three tackles during the game. He also won all five of his aerial duels and four of his five ground duels. The centre-back recorded 38 touches on the pitch, attempting 26 passes and completing 23 of them.

This season, the 23-year-old has played 16 games for Barcelona across competitions, recording one goal and one assist. Xavi will hope he stays fit as his team enter a decisive phase of the season.