How Much Have the New Players Influenced the Rebirth of Barcelona?

Barcelona is going through a process of restructuring and total renovation. The economic crisis, the departure of Lionel Messi and the dismissal of Ronald Koeman put the Catalan club in an unprecedented crisis. However, the arrival of the historic Xavi Hernández has meant a change of scenery and the team has gradually responded to the demands, the individuals are at a good level and at a collective level the team is increasingly strengthened, worked and consolidated.

The winter market carried out by the culé team is also one of the causes that explain this improvement in performance. The additions of the Gabonese Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Adama Traoré, Ferran Torrés and the return of veteran Dani Alves meant a qualitative and quantitative leap for a team in need of signings that would allow Xavi to have a wider range of alternatives from the bench.

For this reason, in the following article we analyze the performance of Barcelona's recent reinforcements and how decisive they have been for the team to chain this positive streak that was enlarged by the impressive win they gave Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu (4-0).

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang

It is very likely that when the arrival of the Gabonese to Barcelona was confirmed, many experts doubted about the level that he could eventually offer to a team in need of a 9. And it is that behind were the tremendous goalscoring figures that Aubameyang added season after season in his time at Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal (this season he recorded 4 goals in 14 Premier League games). However, his level at Barcelona has been very high and he has scored 9 goals in 11 games in all competitions, becoming the team's second top scorer this season; and despite having arrived just a few months ago. At 32 years old, his mobility inside and outside the area, his speed into space and his finishing ability have once again positioned him as a decisive attacker that any team would like to have in their ranks.

Ferran Torres

After a year and a half as a Manchester City player and without being able to be the undisputed starter in Pep Guardiola's team, Ferrán Torres arrived at Barcelona as one of the young attackers called to change the face of the team. And their numbers reflect the success in their signing. The Iberian has scored 6 goals and 5 assists since his return to Spain and his versatility is another factor to highlight. And it is that the former Valencia player is preferably a right winger, but he can also play on the left or false nine, a position in which he performs very well. And in part this versatility is due to the fact that he is not only a fast winger, facing and incisive, but also plays with great intelligence to take advantage of the spaces left by the rival and technically he is very good to participate inside, from behind and in front of the goal. And at 22 years old and given the irregularity of players like Ousmane Dembélé and Ansu Fati, the signing of Ferrán has been a great solution.

Daniel Alves

Any other player with almost 39 years to go would already be retired or close to it, but this is not the case with Dani Alves. The historical and eternal Brazilian winger continues on the payroll of the Brazilian team and also surprised public opinion when his arrival at Barcelona was made official, a team where he left an undeniable mark and where, as if that were not enough, he won everything. He returned to Barcelona as a free agent and had not played an official match since last August 8 in the men's soccer final of the Tokyo Olympics. The truth is that his performance has been solid, without being the undisputed starter but perfectly understanding his role within a team that is starting a new process. His goal and his 3 assists in the 8 games in which he has participated confirm that offensively he continues to be a winger with many qualities.

Adama Traore

Perhaps he is the player who has had the hardest time adapting to the dynamics and style of Barcelona, but despite that, reinforcing himself with Adama Traoré has brought positive aspects to Xavi's team. The former Wolverhampton who usually plays as a winger on the right, provides new offensive solutions due to his spectacular physical conditions, and despite being corpulent he is very fast and can easily leave rivals on the road or run into space if the team there is something against it. Also, he is very dangerous in one on one and without the ball at his feet he almost always knows what to do. In the ten games in which he has participated with the Barcelona shirt, he has not added goals but he has 4 assists, and little by little his presence in a team in need of alternatives begins to be more justified.