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Barcelona endured one of their toughest seasons last time around as they failed to win La Liga as well as the Champions League.
What followed was a summer of suspense and disappointment as PSG broke the bank to take away one of the team's prized assets.
Losing Neymar, albeit for a world record fee, was a major shock to the Blaugrana and they have naturally found it difficult to replace him.
As a result of Neymar's departure, Barcelona bought Ousmane Dembele and made him the second most expensive player in world football.
The fact that they lost Dembele to a hamstring injury for the first half of the season made matters worse and successive Super Cup defeats gave rise to the feeling that there was no chance for Barcelona this season.
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Manager Ernesto Valverde remained focused on the job. Under him, the team has compromised their traditional tiki-taka football to play a more pragmatic but assured style of football.
Valverde keeps changing the formations according to the demands of the match. He does not hesitate from resting his key players for less important games.
The manager implements the squad rotation policy perfectly as this keeps players like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta fresh and ready for big games.
So, who are the players who actually stepped up and raised the performance bar when the odds were against them this season? Have a look at them:
#5 Jordi Alba
When Barcelona was insistent on buying new forwards, fans were demanding for new fullbacks too. Jordi Alba was underwhelming last season and was a shadow of his former self for major portions.
Neymar occupying the left wing slot forced Alba to repress his attacking instincts. After Neymar left, Ernesto Valverde shifted Luis Suarez to an inward left-wing role with the tendency to cut in.
This has allowed Alba the freedom to contribute to the attack more consistently. He thrives when he is given the license to move forward and gives an extra attacking option to the team.
His pace and passing range has helped him create numerous chances for Barcelona down the left wing. Alba has linked up wonderfully with Lionel Messi too and this partnership has wrecked havoc.
Both of them complement each other and Messi’s left foot helps him finish off chances that Alba creates. The Spanish fullback is a livewire going forward but this does not mean that he compromises with his defensive work.
His intelligence helps him track back on time and then again go forward to take part in attacking moves. Alba has developed his game to become the complete fullback that Barcelona needs in this difficult time.
Neymar’s absence has provided the team some defensive balance and enhanced Alba’s role too. He has so far assisted five goals for Barcelona in the league, four of which have been converted by Messi.
He also scored an important goal against Valencia, which in turn was assisted by Messi.
#4 Paulinho
It was unsurprising to see Barcelona and Paulinho getting trolled after the latter joined the Blaugrana from China.
There were several sides to the transfer story with many newspapers even suggesting that the Barca president was seeking a business advantage through this particular transfer.
However, often, the negatives trump the positives when attention is concerned. Therefore, no one bothered to highlight the positives of this Brazilian workhorse.
Despite his shortcomings, Paulinho is an incredibly hard-working player. He is one player who runs all match long and is extremely useful in the high pressing tactic that Valverde applies.
Barcelona, under the current manager, look to win possession back quickly and therefore tend to press the opposition high up the pitch.
This can be tiring for the players but Paulinho’s work ethic enables him to complete his tasks well. Also, the Brazilian midfielder is always determined to score important goals and is a threat inside the box.
He scored a crucial winner late in the game against Getafe, which saved them from dropping two points at an essential stage in the league. He might not be the most talented footballer but is surely an effective player in Valverde’s system.
With Andres Iniesta's creativity and Ivan Rakititc's defensive mindset, the club needed a good box-to-box player and Paulinho seems to have ticked that box for the team.
#3 Samuel Umtiti
One major area of concern for Barcelona when the season started was the lack of defensive organization and leadership. Even someone like Gerrard Pique looked distressed by Real Madrid’s development and bemoaned the fact that his team was second best to Los Blancos.
Javier Mascherano’s form was a worrying factor too and the defence was seen as being quite shaky. However, the fashion in which Samuel Umtiti started the season has forced everyone to change his or her opinion.
The Frenchman is a solid centre-back and has all the attributes that one demands from a modern defender. He has a good awareness of the game, which helps him get in positions in quick time. He is very alert inside the box and possesses a calm head.
Umtiti is assured with the ball at his feet and can start attacks from the back. He shows no signs of complacency or clumsiness while going ahead and is an extremely confident young man.
There is a sense of authority and confidence every time he steps on the pitch, something that is missing from Mascherano.
This season, he has grown into his role and appears a bit more assured in the crunch moments of the game.
His style is easy on the eye as he makes good use of his intelligence and awareness to get to the ball faster than the opposition and can pick out precise passes between the lines. This helps the team to make smooth transitions from defence to attack.
The manner and attitude with which Samuel Umtiti stepped up and responded to the manager’s demands makes him an irreplaceable part of Barcelona’s setup.
#2 Marc-Andre Ter Stegen
Whenever one talks about elite goalkeepers in world football currently, the usual suspects are David de Gea, Manuel Neuer, Jan Oblak and Thibaut Courtois.
Things though, seem to be changing this season. Oblak has let his team down a couple of times in the Champions League and Neuer suffered a season-ending injury a couple of months ago. Hence, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen has risen to prominence in the past couple of months.
Ter Stegen has a tall frame and super fast reflexes. However, his concentration over long periods of the game has been scrutinized as he has been found to be shaky every time a team counter-attacked quickly.
This season though, Ter Stegen seems to have bettered his game and has been impressive in crucial stages. In the match against Athletic Bilbao, he was phenomenal as he made numerous saves and delivered a splendid performance.
The German shot-stopper has been calm while dealing with crosses and often gets into correct positions to thwarts any aerial threat.
His distribution has been good too, something, which is very important in a team like Barcelona. The Blaugrana demand their goalkeepers start attacks by making precise passes and Ter Stegen perfectly fits in the bill.
Despite his abilities, the Barcelona goalkeeper often finds him on the sidelines for selection in the national team. However, Neuer’s current injury has given him the perfect opportunity to display his talents in international football too which he has done with aplomb
#1 Lionel Messi
Messi is the ultimate lifeline for Barcelona’s team and his outrageous talent has helped him carry the entire team on his own.
In a discussion in 2011, Peter Schmeichel had suggested that Lionel Messi cannot play well in a team that does not have Xavi or Andres Iniesta.
His opinion was that Messi needed the brilliance of Xavi and the vision and intelligent running of Iniesta to succeed in his position.
However, Messi seems to be defying that opinion this season. The other players have stepped up in their roles but he is the one who is still leading the team.
The team looks worryingly short of ideas and direction while going forward without him. It is his creative brilliance as well as the talent of producing something special out of nothing that has helped Barcelona get over difficult situations.
Leo has been the man in attack who has delivered constantly. Quite often this season, Ernesto Valverde has played him in the false 9 position, which has helped the manager get the best out of him.
This particular move has allowed Messi to drop into the midfield and have a greater impact centrally.
More than anything else, it has been the attitude and the temperament of the Argentine that has been decisive. Staying away from his club’s failure in the transfer window, he remained focused on his task and duties.
Barcelona is nowhere close to the golden days under Pep Guardiola but they have been successful in being the best team in the league as well as qualifying from their Champions’ League group.
The majority of the credit for this goes to their talismanic forward.
