• Ansu Fati, in homage to Eto'o

Barcelona needed a revolution.

A strong-willed coach whose pulse would not tremble when making difficult decisions and who was able to breathe fresh air into a soulless squad.

That has been achieved by Ronald Koeman, who has arrived like a hurricane.

The eleven guy who has lined up the Dutchman in his first two league games retains

seven names present in the humiliating 2-8 conceded against Bayern

(they would be eight, quite possibly, if Ter Stegen were not on ba

ja), but attitude and physical performance, among other factors, have nothing to do with that last great Barça debacle.

ANIMAL CHANGE

The behavior shown by the players on the field of play is very different from that exhibited at some moments with

Ernesto Valverde

and it has nothing to do with what they evidenced under the command of

Quique Setien

.

The Cantabrian was an attempt at the first revolution that came to nothing and that, in addition, culminated with a season finale without titles.

Now, things are very different.

One example is enough: against Celta, with one less and a comfortable 0-2 on the scoreboard, both Jordi Alba and Gerard Piqué launched without hesitation on the attack in a counterattack to extend distances, something that Sergi Roberto would finally achieve in time added.

The commitment is also noticeable in the defensive tasks: neither against Villarreal nor in Vigo, in this case despite the numerical inferiority, goals were conceded.

PHYSICAL TRAINING

A good predisposition must be accompanied by a good physical tone.

That Koeman has it very clear.

"You play as you train," he stressed after the 0-3 in Balaídos.

"From the first day I have seen players very hungry and wanting revenge, in the sense that a season like the last one cannot be accepted, and they are working hard, training very hard and with more intensity", insisted the Barça coach after the game.

"We have worked very well in the preseason, in training and that shows," he seconded

Sergi Roberto

.

Juanjo Brau is once again responsible for physical preparation.

Now, without a doubt, there is greater intensity at work.

THE MESSI FACTOR

The boredom of the Argentine, reflected in his attempt to leave the club unilaterally, set off all the alarms.

At the end,

Bartomeu got him to stay

reluctantly and, although he assured that his commitment would be maximum, it was normal that skepticism reigned.

But since joining training, Koeman did his best to earn his trust and he appears to have succeeded.

He placed him as a starter in the first friendly, has placed him a false nine and has reminded him that he is the leader, the great reference.

This week, the crack has reiterated, in an interview with a Barcelona sports media, his commitment to the team.

And, in Vigo he more than demonstrated it.

«Leo is very plugged in, he has run a lot and has left his skin behind for the team.

It is very important for us that he is so eager ", highlighted Sergi Roberto.

THE NEW SCHEME

Koeman has opted for a tactical framework a priori very far from 4-3-3, so much to the taste of the Camp Nou and that, in fact, he began to forge his legend with him on the pitch and with

Johan cruyff

on the bench.

Ronald considers that the 4-2-3-1, reviled in the eyes of the Barcelona fans since Serra Ferrer did not do too well with that bet and that

Frank Rijkaard

He also had to change after his first months at the helm of the team, it is the model with which he can get the best performance from the parts he currently has.

In this way, he manages to place, for example, De Jong, Coutinho and Griezmann in the positions where he considers they can do more damage, although the French striker, for now, still does not shine.

COUTINHO'S RECOVERY

The most expensive signing in the history of Barça

(160 million)

He raised a lot of expectations when he arrived in January 2018, but his performance sank the following season.

It was given up for lost and transferred to Bayern with the intention of recovering part of its value to sell it.

There his rebirth began to take shape.

In Lisbon, although he was not a starter with the Bavarians, he closed 2-8 with two goals.

Still, he was not expected to have another chance at Barça, but Koeman had other plans.

He has repositioned him in a position where he can really exploit all his virtues, that of playmaker, and he is shining.

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, his performance with Brazil was even better than Neymar.

It seems that the Dutch coach has found a way to reconcile the midfielder with his more creative profile.

THE EXPLOSION OF ANSU FATI

The last great pearl of La Masia already made his first steps last season, but, so far this year, he is more than demonstrating his merits to be indisputable in the attack of the first team.

For now, he has scored three goals in two games and even forced the penalty that allowed Messi to score the momentary 3-0 against Villarreal.

Its present and future are very exciting.

Koeman has decided to give continuity and bet very hard on him.

To such an extent that he has sent

Ousmane Dembélé

, the second most expensive signing in the history of Barça, to the background ... and maybe even to the starting gate.

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