Tom Clarke analyses Barcelona’s new style and where they are vulnerableFour days before the start of La Liga, Barcelona were in trouble. Their star forward Neymar had joined Paris Saint-Germain for £199 million, prospective summer signings such as Philippe Coutinho had failed to arrive and they had just been beaten 5-1 on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup by their rivals Real Madrid. “A difficult moment” is how the new coach Ernesto Valverde described the situation. Valverde was the man chosen for one of the biggest jobs in the game after the departure of Luis Enrique, who had won only the Copa del Rey in his final campaign and finished second to Real in La Liga. Valverde was not a famous name to take over and some fans wanted the former Seville and Chile coach…

Source: The Times February 19, 2018 00:02 UTC