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Barcelona closed their pre-season with a convincing 4-0 win over Napoli, and there are many positives to take from the tour as the club won four of their five friendly games.
The Catalans have splashed hundreds of millions of pounds to sign well-known players such as Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong. Several of Barcelona's new players showed their worth during the campaign too.
However, Ernesto Valverde still has a few problems to solve.
The LaLiga side were without their talisman Lionel Messi throughout their pre-season tour. Despite Messi's absence, Barcelona didn't face any significant difficulty in scoring as they managed to find the net in each of their friendly games. But their defense was leaky at times.
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The LaLiga champions conceded two goals against Chelsea in their opening pre-season match and struggled to contain Arsenal's attack during the Joan Gamper Cup.
Here, we look at three Barcelona players who would be expected to do more in the season proper than they did in the pre-season tour.
1. Antoine Griezmann
The World cup winner has been Barcelona's most expensive signing in this window so far. Barcelona forked out a massive €120 million to trigger Griezmann's release clause just a month ago.
Many expect the Frenchman to be a big hit at Camp Nou due to his enormous price tag. But Barcelona are already well-stacked in the attack department, so the former Atletico star has a big challenge ahead to cement a regular place in Valverde's side.
Griezmann's pre-season display was below par, as the 28-year-old scored just once over five games. His only brilliant moment came when Barcelona thrashed Napoli 4-0.
Griezmann did make some nice movements and was able to link up well with Luis Suarez at times. However, his position could be under serious threat if Messi plays.
Suarez was solid throughout the pre-season and is now Barcelona's likeliest first-choice striker. On the other hand, Ousmane Dembele was one of the team's best performers during the tour.
Hence, Griezmann could have to fight for a place in the team, although he can play either as a winger or a striker.
2. Sergio Busquets
Sergio Busquets has been Barcelona's first-choice defensive midfielder over the last decade. He is widely praised for his passing, intelligence and ability to win the ball. The veteran midfielder also has outstanding fitness levels.
However, his decline in performance has been evident lately.
Last season, Busquets was criticized for his lack of pace. Speed has never been the 31-year-old's best attribute, but his pace problem has cost Barcelona's defense dearly in recent times.
His less-than-stellar form continued during the pre-season campaign. He struggled to keep the ball at times and even gifted away a goal during the Chelsea game.
Busquets barely had any competition before Barcelona signed Frenkie de Jong. However, the former Ajax starlet was arguably Barcelona's best player throughout the pre-season tour. Thus, Busquets would have a hard time if he is unable to improve on his showings soon.
The Spaniard did score a goal against Napoli, but that is unlikely to compensate for his defensive shortcomings.
3. Samuel Umtiti
Samuel Umtiti quickly established himself as Barcelona's first-choice center back during his debut LaLiga season. Bought in 2016, Umtiti has seen his market value skyrocket since becoming a Barcelona player. He further cemented his reputation as one of Europe's top defenders after helping France win the World Cup.
Unfortunately, he has endured a difficult time since he picked up a serious knee injury. He was even unable to start ahead of fellow countryman Clement Lenglet last season.
Some expected Umtiti to depart from Camp Nou, despite the former Lyon star signing a new long-term contract last year. However, Umtiti decided to stay, and his problem has now seemed to become worse.
The 24-year-old was sub-par for most of Barcelona's pre-season campaign. The Catalans struggled to contain Arsenal's attack before Valverde decided to replace the Frenchman. Umtiti was also arguably Barcelona's worst player against Napoli.
He got nutmegged a couple of times and looked like a shadow of his former self throughout the pre-season tour. Jean-Clair Todibo could possibly start ahead of Umtiti if he still fails to regain his form soon.
