A new era for FC Barcelona
The club has seen huge improvement since ex-player Xavi Hernández returned as a coach in January 2021
Whisper it quietly: it looks like Football Club Barcelona has its identity back.
It would be inaccurate to call it a revolution as that suggests an uprising. What's happening at the Camp Nou is a footballing restoration.
These are early days, as Xavi imposes his plans at the club where the foundations had spectacularly crumbled. Under Ronald Koeman, the team was like a jigsaw that had been strewn across the floor and he didn't know how to reassemble it.
The returning hero has patiently taken the pieces, surveyed them, and found out how to piece them together. The jigsaw isn't complete, but it's taking shape and you can see the picture emerging again.
Since Koeman's departure, Barcelona have lost only one of 13 Liga games. Initially, it was a cautious approach from the new coach as he assessed the situation; now, his team are playing in the style set out by the great Johan Cruyff. It's the traditional 4-3-3 formation based on pure passing football.
It can't be compared to the advanced style of Pep Guardiola at this the early stage of the rebuild. Like Guardiola, Xavi has utilised the home-grown produce from the club's football farm. At first, there was a reliance on the new crop but now he's able to balance the team out.
Pedri was worn out by the previous regime and has only just returned. His long-distance, power-blast grazed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who was granted a hat-trick goal last weekend in Valencia.
The brilliance of the wonderkid wasn't lost on his manager though. "There is no player in the world with as much talent as Pedri, and he's only 19," was Xavi's assessment.
His pal Gavi, just a couple of years younger, can't be far off. It should be noted that when the coach wanted to make a midfield change at the Mestalla, he withdrew the big-money signing Frenkie De Jong and relied on the teenager.
Elsewhere, Ronald Araújo looks every inch the natural successor to Gerard Piqué; Nico González is learning from Sergio Busquets; and Ansu Fati is soon to return.
Aubameyang's signing was a no-risk gamble. He follows the likes of David Villa, Henrik Larsson and Thierry Henry who were established "guns for hire" when recruited by Barça. His hat-trick against Valencia alone made the winter signing worthwhile.
Xavi's other recruits, Adama Traoré and Dani Alves appeared to be a little left-field. They have one thing in common – they are both returning to FC Barcelona and know the requirements. They don't need an initiation course; they have been immersed in the philosophy. For Alves, it's an unexpected swansong and I'd be surprised if Traoré's signing is made permanent. It's a bridging loan.
The transformation is far from complete. Alves is covering for the lack of a stand-out right back. On the opposite side, Jordi Alba is in his autumn years and there can't be a long-term reliance of the Pique/Busquets axis. Xavi is finding solutions. Some are very short-term; others are very, very long-term. In the mid-term, it looks like the chances of a top-four finish - which had been written off - are now a reasonable target.
