A Quarter-Term Report on Barcelona

Even the most pessimistic cule can't have failed to have been enchanted by Barcelona's start to this season.

Tata Martino's appointment was met with scepticism in some quarters, but the Argentine set about his work with the diligence required to make a success of the position.

That he has still to be beaten as Barca manager speaks volumes for his acumen, and indeed he is the only Barca manager to date to have stayed unbeaten for so long.

So much for the pre-season prophets of doom!

There has been much to admire about this Barcelona with Martino the architect in many respects.

He has managed to retain the tactics that all Barca fans hold dear—ball retention, pressing, etc—whilst at the same time throwing off the shackles and giving freedom to the playing staff to change things as necessary.

In short, he has empowered the entire club into a new way of thinking. Barca don't always have to use tiki-taka to win matches because tiki taka doesn't always win matches.

Martino's intelligence and foresight has been in knowing which brand of football to utilise against a particular opponent and successfully getting his messages across to a team full of highly paid and highly strung superstars.

That he has done this whilst also rotating every single member of the team deserves great credit.

One of those superstars, Neymar, has also been an unqualified success in his first dozen or so games at Camp Nou.

Far from being a selfish and indulgent player, as many had expected, the youngster has provided an extra dimension and a renewed impetus to this group of players.

Lionel Messi has certainly benefitted from Neymar's inclusion, the Brazilian's assists total at the top end of the scale in European football.

Further, with Messi's niggling injuries rearing their ugly head yet again—probably the only real sour note of the season so far—Neymar's inclusion has been something of a god-send for the club overall.

The sense of armageddon each time Messi gets a knock has been dissipated by the Brazilian's seamless integration, but now we'll see what the team are truly made of after Messi was ruled out for six to eight weeks with a hamstring injury, per fcbarcelona.com. 

An average of three-goals-a-game is on par with the most prolific of Barcelona teams, and Martino's teams have won many games at a canter.

Cristian Tello has been the most disappointing player of the front line, whereas Alexis Sanchez has been a revelation. The Chilean has found the form from his Serie A days and is beginning to show the paying public just what he is capable of.

Pedro Rodriguez has shown glimpses of the form we know he is capable of, but his best moments have been few and far between.

Andres Iniesta's normal exocet-guided delivery in midfield had deserted him in some of the earlier games, but a resurgent El Clasico performance has laid to rest any worries concerning a longer term loss of form.

With Xavi Hernandez and Cesc Fabregas rotating throughout the season, both have remained fresh and provided more than able support when required in the central areas.

It will be interesting to see just who Martino plumps for in the "false-nine" role in Messi's absence. B/R's own Sam Tighe gives his opinion here.

Underpinning Barca's attacking forays has been the defensive might of Sergio Busquets. So often the unsung hero of this team, his absences have been noticeable when Martino has felt the need to rotate.

Alex Song has done little wrong, and in fact when the Cameroonian has played, Barca have never lost. Yet his style of play is not as dynamic as Busquets', and perhaps a lack of successive games is what hampers Song's progression within the unit.

Carles Puyol is being sensibly eased back into the side by Martino and this, along with an injury to Javier Mascherano, has allowed Marc Bartra to flourish.

Cules have been crying out for the young Catalan's inclusion for months, and his stellar performances have not disappointed. Bartra has grown immeasurably into the role to the extent where it would not be a surprise to see him as a permanent fixture at the heart of the defence for the rest of the campaign.

His performance just this past weekend against Real Betis was one of his best to date and an acknowledgement of his growing influence came in the form of an international call-up to the senior Spain squad from Vicente Del Bosque.

Both Mascherano and Gerard Pique haven't enjoyed their best campaigns so far. Loss of concentration, loss of form, both haven't really been at the races in games this season, but the compensation of the emergence of Bartra has deviated attention away from both internationals' shortcomings.

Martin Montoya has been a huge disappointment overall and has rarely appeared likely to cement a place on the right-hand side of defence. Dani Alves' attention to defending has improved, and he offers much more in an attacking sense than the young Catalan.

On the opposite side, Adriano Correia has filled in wonderfully at left-back because of the unfortunate injuries to Jordi Alba, although we can expect the "squirrel" to return to his rightful place once international proceedings have concluded.

Victor Valdes is in the form of his life.

Time after time he has saved Barcelona this season, never better than his astonishing save against Real Betis.

With just eight goals conceded, Valdes is in pole position to add yet another Zamora Trophy to his growing collection of individual accolades.

All in all, it's a more than satisfactory report. There is always room for improvement of course, but Martino's Barca have certainly gotten off on the right foot.