Three takeaways from Barcelona’s win over Athletic Bilbao

A renewed sense of cohesiveness

Under former manager Ronald Koeman, the team looked disjointed. Whether offensively or defensively, they weren’t on the same page and it showed in a variety of ways.

Since Xavi has taken over, slowly but surely, he has Barcelona playing like a team again. The players now seem to know their role on the team and where to be, positionally speaking.

They’re pressing more effectively as a team and winning the ball back straight away instead of sitting back and waiting for the game to come to them.

Players who came under scrutiny like Frenkie de Jong, Busquets, Jordi Alba, Gerard Pique and Dest, have all improved under Xavi. De Jong looks like he has his confidence back and is starting to look like the player the club signed from Ajax.

The veterans no longer appear to crumble when things go wrong which in turn instills confidence and conveys assuredness to the younger players.

Xavi’s been able to integrate the winter signings straight into the team and they’ve all contributed in different ways. Luuk de Jong, who was a prime candidate to leave during the transfer window stayed and has become an impact sub for Xavi when he needs a goal.

Some were skeptical when Xavi took over as they felt he didn’t have enough experience. So far, he’s proven his doubters wrong. He’s led Barcelona to the Round of 16 in the Europa League and has them in Champions League contention.

There is no point in thinking back and wondering what could have been had he been the manager at the start of the season. He’s here now and he’s got Barcelona playing better, entertaining football and giving supporters renewed optimism in the process.