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A Barcelona first-team is slowly taking shape under Ernesto Valverde

By Chiranjib Ghosh

Barcelona's Spanish coach Ernesto Valverde sits on the bench before the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on October 6, 2019. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP) (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcelona's Spanish coach Ernesto Valverde sits on the bench before the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Sevilla FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on October 6, 2019. (Photo by Josep LAGO / AFP) (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images) /
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The 4-0 victory against Sevilla was marred by a spate of late red cards. But despite that setback, Barcelona showed class and character against the Andalusians. A welcome return to top form after a series of inconsistent results.

But a more important outcome of that match was the emergence of a proper first-team. With the return of Ousmane Dembélé and Lionel Messi to proper first-team action, a fixed starting lineup is starting to take shape.

Of course, the defence which took the field against a lacklustre Sevilla side will never be first-choice. Jordi Alba was missing, and Nélson Semedo could not cope with the movement of Lucas Ocampos down the right flank.

Jean-Clair Todibo was impressive for a debutant, showing skilful movement while under pressure from the likes of Luuk de Jong. But his place in the first-team will be heavily contested between his compatriots in the squad, while the right-back spot is also up for contention.

For now, Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba are permanent members of the first-team. But Clément Lenglet’s indifferent form recently means that Samuel Umtiti could earn an opportunity to win back his place in the first-team.

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As for Sergi Roberto, the Spain international has not done anything to get precedence over Nélson Semedo. But the starting lineup in the Clásico is sure to make Valverde’s plans clear. He has always preferred Roberto to Semedo, but times have changed.

The midfield is more or less decided. Arthur and Frenkie de Jong have won themselves a place in the first-team with consistently good performances despite poor results in recent times. As for the other spot, Arturo Vidal has entered into a good run of form.

But depending on the circumstances, Ivan Rakitić could replace his Chilean counterpart in the lineup. The World Cup finalist was very impressive after replacing Vidal in the second-half, and has always been a favourite of Valverde’s.

Sergio Busquets is set for a prolonged spell on the bench after a string of extremely poor displays, evidence of his decline. But the most stability will be achieved in attack, after a masterclass in finishing from the front three of Dembélé, Suárez and Messi against Sevilla.

€120 million signing Antoine Griezmann is unlikely to get much playing time in the coming weeks after repeatedly squandering opportunities to make his mark. On the other hand, Ansu Fati could compete with Dembélé for minutes, or even return to Barcelona B.

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Carles Pérez will get chances to prove his worth against lesser opposition in the league, and will be the ace up Valverde’s sleeve against tired defences.