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Barcelona has started the 2017-2018 season on a high and the team is on a run since that frustrating defeat in the Spanish Super Cup. Ernesto Valverde seems to have settled into the Catalan life as Barcelona aims to strengthen their title challenge.
The club appointed Valverde after a frustrating final year under Luis Enrique which ended with only a Spanish Cup trophy in their hands.
Ernesto Valverde had a rather turbulent summer. The Catalans failed to land both Philippe Coutinho and Marco Verratti and lost Neymar in a world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain. Paulinho's arrival was widely criticized by fans.
The only joy the Blaugrana had was in the form of raw talents Dembele and Semedo. But to the pleasure of everyone associated with the club, the team has performed well under Valverde and stand as favourites to retain their Spanish crown from Real Madrid. Barcelona is also a strong contender for the UEFA Champions League. Let's look at the five first-team players who have improved significantly under their new boss.
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#1 Paulinho Bezerra
The 29-year-old's arrival at the Nou Camp was a controversial move. Fans, already angered by a lack of silverware in recent seasons, demanded a world-class transfer move to control the midfield. The club, however, decided to invest over 40 million euros in the Brazilian attack-minded midfield man. Paulinho signed a four year deal with the Catalans and expressed his joy of moving to the Catalan capital from China.
The Brazilian spoke boldly regarding his move to Barcelona and responded to criticism by stating that he would put all his heart on the pitch and fans must wait to see him perform. Paulinho did indeed act upon his words.
The Brazilian has transformed into a beast under Valverde. If not the ideal agile midfielder a team like Barcelona demands, Paulinho has crafted himself into the ideal box-to-box midfielder for Barcelona.
Adding a necessary spark of physicality into Barcelona's gameplay, Paulinho has an eye for the goal. The poaching midfielder has been scoring goals since making his debut for the Catalans. His decent heading ability has made Barcelona a threat on set-pieces.
Paulinho scored the all-important winning goal against Getafe in the dying moments of the game earlier this season. The winner was a perfect example of the Brazilian's physical prowess and his partnership with Leo Messi, who tends to form a good bond with Brazilians.
The Brazuca is now an influential element of the Barcelona squad and receiving backing from the club's supporters only add to his confidence. Surprisingly, Paulinho is set to finish the calendar year as Brazil's top goalscorer over the likes of Neymar Jr., Gabriel Jesus and Coutinho.
#2 Paco Alcacer
The Spaniard was reported to part ways with the club in January due to a lack of opportunities at the Nou Camp. However, the forward stepped in just perfectly when the call arrived. Luis Suarez's concerning form and Dembele's injury forced the gaffer to pick Paco Alcacer.
The Spaniard has led the Barcelona attack with ease. A good header of the ball, Alcacer displayed his abilities in the box whenever he was given the chance to start for the Blaugrana. Alcacer has found his way into a solid role in Valverde's plans and now stands proud as a regular player for the Catalans.
Alcacer's eye for the goal and physical prowess has reignited the much-desired attacking flair that the fans demanded and the Spaniard performed when required. A threat in set-piece situations, Paco has significantly improved upon his decision making and passing during the off-season.
The forward's below-average performances under Luis Enrique called for a move out of Barcelona but Alcacer's improved first-touch and finishing has earned him some time at the Catalan capital. The forward is still young and can prove to be a vital element in Valverde's long-term play in case the board doesn't decide to buy another world-class striker.
#3 Jordi Alba
Certainly the Barcelona player who has developed the most in the new season, the fullback is in a splendid run of form. Criticized by fans last season due to his poor timing and mindless running, the tides have turned for the Spaniard, who certainly looks to be back at his best under the Txingurri.
Boosted by a revival of form, the formidable and infamous partnership between Leo Messi and Alba is back among the charts. Contributing to a blistering six goals in the Spanish league, with five assists and a winner against Valencia to his name, Jordi's contribution to both the defence and offence is one of the central reasons behind Barcelona's unbeaten run.
The link-up he forms with Leo Messi is deemed as one of the dangerous partnerships in European football, as the latter has all the capabilities to play that perfect ball to find the overlapping run of Alba, who almost every time nods the ball off perfectly in line for one of the Barcelona forwards to score. The Spaniard has been labelled as the 'new Dani Alves', owing to his chemistry with Leo Messi.
"Whenever I can, I look to Messi because he scores almost every time. Messi is the best in history and a very important player for the team. This is not just from a football perspective, but also a personal one." - Jordi Alba
His immense work-rate has traditionally complemented his lightning pace, but Ernesto Valverde's balanced tactics and game-plan have kept a check on the Spaniard's stamina, who now checks all the boxes to be a threat for the opposition.
Perhaps the only person linked with the Catalan club who has been benefitted from Neymar's big-money move to Paris, the Spaniard has enjoyed greater freedom on the flanks to overlap over opposition defenders. Surprisingly, even with all his going-forward and searching for killer balls into the penalty box, Jordi Abla maintains a healthy pass success rate of 88.4% in the Spanish League, which even goes beyond 91% when the fullback represents Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
Alba's chemistry with Andres Iniesta also contributes significantly to the former's independence on the left flank. Iniesta, the creative playmaker for the Catalans, has been granted the room to go forward and contribute to the build-up thanks to Jordi Alba's covering and the ability to track back on opposition counter-attacks, all due to his blazing fast speed and lightning quick acceleration.
Controlling the tempo of the game, assisting teammates or scoring goals, name whatever you want, Jordi Alba has restarted doing what he does best, and that certainly adds to a lot of problems for the oppositions.
#4 Nelson Semedo
The solution to our defensive problems? The perfect replacement for Dani Alves? Barcelona fans conclusively state that the Portuguese man is undoubtedly one key find of the Catalan club. What they see in the youngster is a dynamic fullback with capabilities of hurting opponents on the break.
Quick on the ball and skilful with his feet, Semedo didn't enjoy the ideal start of life at Barcelona. The Portuguese made his debut for the Catalans in the Spanish Super Cup, which they famously lost to arch-rivals Real Madrid.
However, better things were written in fortunes for the defender. Largely backed by the support from Barcelona fans, Semedo was given the confidence to start and perform against big teams.
His real break came against Juventus in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage, where Semedo put a decent performance to win the hearts of many. Now mooted as a long-term replacement to the legendary Daniel Alves, the young gun is certainly one player the Catalans can rely upon in the long-term.
Semedo has shown promise in his performance with abilities to hurt opposition defence and clear out enemy lines in case they come calling. Jordi Alba's blistering speed on the left and Semedo's lighting acceleration on the right is set to be the origin of one too many problems for anyone who challenges the Catalans and stands in their trek to glory.
Semedo has certainly added a lot to Barcelona's defence this season, which looks reinforced and conceded just one goal in all of the UEFA Champions League this season, which makes them the best European defence. Ernesto Valverde's men at the back are also the joint-best defence in Spain.
"Nélson is very good both physically and technically. We've been watching him evolve. He's a young player with a bright future. He'll bring a lot to the team and will adapt quickly." - Robert Fernandez, FC Barcelona's Technical Secretary
Nelson has started for Barcelona seven times in the league and made his mark in five out of their six European outings this season. The youngster averages an astounding 87% pass success rate in the Spanish League and the number goes as high as 89.6% against the European clubs.
Semedo also has a rare ability to bring in fouls from opponents owing to his dribbling ability on the right flank. The Portuguese averages over 1.3 dribbles per game, a decent stat for a newly bought fullback.
With the talents of Ousmane Dembele and Nelson Semedo on the wings, the flair and skill Barcelona fans are destined to witness in the coming years are unparalleled.
#5: Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Perhaps not suiting the ideal definition of 'development', ter Stegen's sudden rise of stature is undoubtedly the prime reason behind Barcelona's defensive heroics. 'The Best Defensive Side in Europe and Spain' doesn't go with an attack-minded team like FC Barcelona.
The Catalans have had defensive problems traditionally and with an assertable exception of Victor Valdes, no Barcelona goalkeeper in recent history has earned himself a title corresponding to being the best shot-stopper in the world at the moment. However, things look bright for the German who is set to be the next big thing in world football.
"He [Stegen] is key and we are happy to have him with us." - Sergio Busquets
The second choice keeper during Claudio Bravo's reign at Barcelona, ter Stegen took most of the opportunity present by Luis Enrique after the former was left with only reliable goalkeeper following Bravo's move to City.
However, Stegen didn't really earn the limelight until Ernesto Valverde entered the fray. The German has earned his place as the first-choice keeper, benching a more experienced Jasper Cillessen. Conceding just 0.44 goals on average this season, the German manages to keep out over 2.44 goal-bound efforts per game. With ten clean sheets to his name, ter Stegen only concedes one after grabbing over 5.5 saves per game.
The biggest improvement in Stegen's game is certainly his efforts against long-rangers. The German famously conceded two wonder-goals from Real Madrid's starlet Marco Asensio in the Super Cup but has kept out all but one super strike from Getafe's Gaku ever-since. Stegen's confidence has also improved largely under Valverde and the German has developed into a strong dressing-room figure for the Catalan club.
“I know what's coming. I am informed about all this. I know that the demand here is high and that winning is the only way" - Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Not only with his hands, ter Stegen earns the title of being one of the best goalkeepers at the moment with the added contribution on his feet. The German has a distribution success rate of over 85% in the Spanish League, a rare feat for a goalkeeper but everything that a team like Barcelona demands from their man between the sticks.
Barcelona fans unequivocally see a futuristic leader in the German and would desire to witness a remarkable career by the shot-stopper at the Nou Camp.
