The outlook was so bleak back in August. Barcelona had just lost Neymar to football’s next great power, and his replacement, Ousmane Dembele, suffered a serious hamstring injury. Accusations of tax evasion still hung around, and Paulinho couldn’t even perform the necessary kickie-uppies at his ill-attended unveiling.
Four months later, Barcelona couldn’t look more different. Ernesto Valverde laid down a strong foundation as soon as he arrived, asking for more intensity and defensive awareness from his players. He abandoned the club’s Dutch-inspired 4-3-3 formation for a basic 4-4-2 and gave Lionel Messi the freedom to roam the pitch.
It hasn’t been so much tiki-taka as ticking all the boxes. It’s been about limiting mistakes at the back and being more efficient with the ball. Barcelona hasn’t exactly abandoned its attacking principles – it still averages one of the highest percentages of possession in Europe – but it has taken a more substantial approach to winning.
Barcelona showed that resolve in Saturday’s El Clasico, holding Real Madrid at bay before exploding for three second-half goals. It was a performance predicated on limiting Los Blancos’ goal-scoring opportunities and exploiting space down the middle.
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