It’s been a tumultuous few weeks for Barcelona but things are gradually beginning to settle down and there’s even reasons for the club to be looking forwards and upwards again.
One of the success stories of the Ronald Koeman era was the promotion of youth, and one player in particular has been head and shoulders above his contemporaries.
When Gavi came into the side, more out of necessity because of injuries and suspensions than anything else, he took the opportunity with both hands.
So much so that he quickly became Spain’s youngest ever player after shining for the Catalan club.
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Once Pedri Gonzalez is fit again, Gavi really does give new manager, Xavi, great options in the centre of the park.
With Nico Gonzalez also coming through, there are a core of young players that could dominate Barca’s midfield for years. That’s without considering Frenkie de Jong or Sergio Busquets.
If there’s one element of his play that he’ll need to work on it’s an over-exuberance in the tackle, though that’s likely to be a part of a natural maturity to his all-round game.
As long as the Catalans can overcome Benfica in the Champions League and starting picking up wins in La Liga, there’s no reason why the second half of the season can’t be a success.