How Barcelona went from crisis club to comeback kings in three weeks

Posted Friday, March 10, 2017 by Marca.com

Footballing cycles tend to come and go in a matter of years, even months, but with more money and pressure in the game, they only seem to turn around quicker and quicker.

Barcelona are the case in point for this theory, as the apparently dire state the club was in three weeks ago has almost completely reversed since.

Here are five reasons to explain the Blaugrana's turnaround.

Tactical changes

Luis Enrique had been criticised for his tactical inflexibility for a long while and yet that all seemed to change in an instant as his 3-4-3 formation was updated in the away win at Atletico Madrid. With opposition teams caught on the hop by Rafinha playing out wide and Lionel Messi at the front of a diamond, the impetus returned to the Catalans.

Title race opportunism

Spanish football is often dominated by the seesaw effect that balances out Real Madrid and Barcelona's respective form, and with Los Blancos experiencing a tough spell in dropping points to Valencia and Las Palmas, their rivals sensed a chance. Taking to the summit of the league may be largely irrelevant with so many games left to go, yet it nonetheless served for the Blaugrana as a huge confidence boost.

Coaching clarity

While it is impossible to predict how things would have gone without Luis Enrique's announcement of his impending departure, the confirmation that he will leave in the summer has lifted the haze around the dressing room. With the pressure released from the Asturian, the squad have also received a big injection of motivation to do their best to provide a proper send off as well as make an early impression on the new boss.

Dress rehearsals

The impossibility of making up the deficit against Paris Saint-Germain was slowly deconstructed with Barcelona's 6-1 rout of Sporting Gijon and 5-0 win over Celta Vigo in the week before. Of course, PSG were a bigger prospect but that goalscoring form was rife throughout the squad going into Wednesday night.

Neymar's awakening

Criticised as much as anyone during the Catalan club's struggles in the first half of the season, Neymar has since removed the concept of Messidependence at the Camp Nou with a number of leading performances. The stats read as four goals and two assists in three games but his rise back to world class form has been vital for its symbolism, also.