The FC Barcelona of the 2021 has been very different to what has seen of the team in the last six months, or if it wants to more. After some changes, controversial exits of the Camp Nou, negative results and negatividad in the breast of the picture culé, everything seems to indicate that the Barça is recovering the smile and win them to compete by all the titles in this season. The first opportunity will have it during this week, in the dispute of the 'final four' of the Supercopa of Spain.
Recently less than three weeks was unthinkable that the Barça arrived like favourite to the dispute of a tournament but, with what has seen of the culés in the beginning of the year, there are a lot of reasons to consider to the Catalan picture like the strongest team and with greater possibilities to raise the trophy of the Supercopa next Sunday in The Cartuja, Seville. Koeman, finally, is giving with the 'key' of the regularity and his approach is generating confidence in the players, by what the collective performance, definitely, has improved in the last three parties contested.
The changes in Can Barça have gone from the concentration of the players during all the parties, until the effectiveness of face to the goal. In this year, it has reduced in great quantity the individual errors that punished to the team with goals against and, sorpresivamente, the forwards have needed fewer shots to annotate and sentence the clashes. For now, the scales bends in favour of the team directed by Ronald Koeman and sobran the reasons.
Koeman Finds his system
The Dutch technician arrived to the Camp Nou with the intention of 'revolutionise' to the team and seems that finally it is it achieving. After trying with several tactical systems, seems that it has found the form to give him consistency to the Barça and like this, show a better version. With the 4-3-3, the culés have achieved to be regular and, big part of this, is due to that so much Frenkie of Jong like Pedri González have advanced his position. Both have been determinants for the team of face to the goal, annotating they same or assisting.
Defence much solider
One of the most worrisome appearances of the FC Barcelona in the beginning of the season was the defensive fragility. The culés committed a lot of errors that caused goals against, especially in the axis of the defensive saga. This year, Clément Lenglet, that had been very questioned during the 2020, has improved considerably and Ronald Araújo (that it is doubt for the Supercopa) shows that it is the central ideal for the Barça, to short and long term. It is the same case of Óscar Mingueza that, in spite of his youth, neither has desentonado in the opportunities that has had. For greater fortune, Samuel Umtiti also is recovering his best version and in front of the Granada did not commit any error, showing him to Koeman that can have he.
Good moment of Dembélé and Griezmann
The 'Mosquito' has been one of the big disclosures in this season. Although in the summer was in the ramp of exit of the Camp Nou and Koeman did not have he, has turned into one of the most dangerous players and determinants for the Barça. His desborde, pressure (offensive and defensive) has resulted a surprise for the culés, although the goal continues him resisting. Griezmann, by his part, has showed that had a positive effect have been left behind in the bench. In front of the Athletic and Granada went extremely important, creating constantly danger of face to the goal. In addition to marking, finally has attained to achieve combine with Messi, something that has dinamizado the Barcelona attack.
'D10S' is back
One of the reasons with greater weight to consider to the Barça like the candidate to win the Supercopa (and the rest of the titles) is the big level of Lionel Messi in the last parties. After several months cabizbajo, the star of Rosario recontró with his best football and has gone back to be the most important player and determinant for the culés. His quality reflects with goals, but also in the creation of offensive game.
Messi has showed that all the negative that lived in the beginning of season, with his almost exit of the club, has remained in the past and that, right now, is concentrated and engaged with the Barça to the one hundred percent. One of the reasons by which has recovered the smile has been the pair that has created with Pedri, that invites to dream, but also his combinations with Of Jong or Griezmann.
The rivals of the Barça, in a moment irregular
Although it is true that the culés have own reasons to be the favourites to win the Supercopa, the current state of his rivals also give him a 'plus' to the Barça. The Real Sociedad, with the one who will confront the Barcelona in the semifinals of the tournament, arrives to Córdoba after losing in front of the Seville the weekend and, definitely, have lost the shine of the beginning of season that turned him into one of the candidates to complicate him the life to the 'big' of LaLiga.
In addition to the moment of the 'txuri-urdines', of face to a possible final, so much the Real Madrid like the Athletic Bilbao have lived some very negative weeks, considering the feelings and results that have had. The madridistas empataron in front of the Osasuna, without goals, in a party that, in paper, was easy to win. The 'lions', by his part, fell in front of the Barça in the première of Marcelino like trainer and could not contest the previous day to the Supercopa, to consequence of the storm Filomena.