Barcelona Back on Track Against Osasuna as Andre Gomes Beds In

Andre Gomes has made it into Luis Enrique's good books. There's an easy way to tell.

For a coach who likes rotating it is fairly rare to have a player who is not considered part of what's known as the "gala XI" to start a lot of games in a row.

And Gomes has started five of Barcelona's last six matches, with the odd one out being the Copa del Rey tie against Hercules in Alicante.

When you look at the more important games Barcelona have played this season, Gomes' name stands out, too.

The Clasico? He started. Manchester City and Celtic away in the Champions League? He started. Real Sociedad, Valencia and Celta Vigo away? He started.

When asked about Gomes' recent string of starts after the game, the coach responded, prickly as ever: "What are you trying to say, that it’s his turn to rest?"

CESAR MANSO/Getty Images

Lucho has started Gomes three times in eight days, along with Messi, the only player to appear from the off against Real Madrid, Borussia Monchengladbach and then this 3-0 win at Osasuna.

Gomes improved with each game, starting timidly and ineffectively against Real Madrid, building confidence while playing as a pivot in the Champions League and then impressing on the ball alongside Andres Iniesta in Pamplona.

Continuity will help any player trying to find form, but with Ivan Rakitic, Rafinha, Denis Suarez and Arda Turan all options for his midfield spot, it is still a surprise that the former Valencia man has enjoyed so much time on the pitch.

Against Osasuna, he helped Iniesta, with Barcelona benefitting by keeping control of the game and strangling their opponent.

Gomes' ability on the ball is one of the reasons that Luis Enrique likes him, because alongside Barcelona's captain, he helps them stay calm in possession, with the result being performances like the last two.

Performances that quiet the voices about Barcelona's style drifting too far from the possession-based game they became renowned for.

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

Another reason Gomes is useful to Luis Enrique is because he is stronger and taller than many of his other options, useful both attacking and defending set pieces, plus winning battles in the middle of the pitch.

Rakitic is playing far below his best at present, and while saying Gomes has risen to the challenge of standing in for him would be over-egging the pudding a little, he is starting to make a case.

The third reason Lucho likes Gomes is less about football and more about politics. It was the coach who wanted the midfielder to join, and Barcelona splashed out €35 million on him, a fee which could rise to €55 million depending on add-on fees.

With Gomes being his man, it is only natural that he wants him to have a chance to shine—although Aleix Vidal didn’t receive the same treatment despite being another one of Luis Enrique’s transfer targets.

Vidal did well in the week against Borussia Monchengladbach but was axed from this squad, and his future at Barcelona is uncertain to say the least.

That is in stark contrast to Barcelona’s uptick in form since Iniesta’s return—the midfielder's presence has lit up the two-and-a-third games he’s been back for.

But more than just Iniesta, other players are starting to pull their weight, too. Building on his Clasico display, Busquets put in another impressive performance on Saturday.

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

“Busquets is the first player to react to pressure, and he reads the game better than anyone,” said Luis Enrique. “In the second half, his passing was key for us.”

The coach was happy with the team’s overall performance, saying they deserved to win by some distance even though Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi spurned chances in the first half.

Those two eventually ended up notching the goals: one for Suarez to take him to 10 in La Liga, two for Messi on his 550th appearance to take him to 11 and top of the Pichichi chart.

Lucho admitted Barcelona must improve further, whose lead at the top of the table they cut down to three points before Los Blancos faced Deportivo de la Coruna later in the day. He said:

"Us coaches always predict the worst, but we were aware of the difficulty of this game. All grounds are difficult and we knew it was key to get the first goal. It was more difficult than normal because in the first half we had a lot of chances. In fact, for the first half alone,we deserved a comfortable victory.

"I'm happy with what I saw. We were the superior side. It’s about improving our performances to try to put pressure on the leaders, Real Madrid".

And as things got more comfortable for Barcelona, they got more comfortable for Gomes, too. He said precisely that after the match, per Sport. 

"I am feeling comfortable at Barcelona," he explained. "It's important to have continuity in the play, and that can only come with games."

While he has improved, he has a lot further to go to deserve to be considered part of the team’s best XI, while Barcelona, too, have much further to go to be thought of as back to their best.

Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images

“We are Barca and Barca always put up a fight," said Suarez after the match on television channel beIN Sport. "Barca always put up a fight. Whether six, seven or eight points, it’s a team that always fights."

Suarez is fighting against the bad form he has been in and perhaps still is despite his goals in the previous two matches he has appeared in.

The Uruguayan missed two easy chances before breaking the deadlock here, although he did seem more involved than he was in the Clasico.

If he can find his way once again, along with Busquets, then Barcelona will be a lot closer to the force they have been over the last two years.

And if Gomes keeps adapting and doesn’t look back, then he may prove an important figure when it comes to bridging the gap between the style Barcelona used to extol, and some of the football we have seen recently.

It’s a big ask and a long way from completion, but Iniesta needs an associate who is on his wavelength, and Gomes, Messi aside, is as close as it gets from the starting lineup that faced Osasuna.

Rik Sharma is Bleacher Report's lead Barcelona correspondent. All information and quotes obtained firsthand unless specified. Follow him on Twitter here: @riksharma_.