Kylian Mbappe will be made to work by this Barcelona defence

Barcelona are, finally, playing their best football of the 2023/24 season and not before time it must be said.

Whether Xavi’s announcement has had an effect on that or not isn’t really the point here, it’s just great to see the Barça XI back in the groove and controlling games again.

The match against Atleti was an absolute joy, the first 20 or so minutes notwithstanding.

Complete dominance against the toughest of opponents, and the only thing you could potentially critique as a negative was that the Catalans didn’t win by more on the night.

Alvaro Morata is a decent enough striker when in form, though he’s been off the boil for a while now.

Even when Diego Simeone brought on his big guns, they had no answer to the masterful defending of 17-year-old Pau Cu-Baresi.

Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images

As each game comes and goes, so the youngster gets better, and alongside Ronald Araujo – unless the Uruguayan is sold in the summer – they could be Barca’s new centre-back pairing for years to come.

We also saw in Hector Fort another right-sided player that is comfortable as a left-back and, until his injury, he was the equal of any Rojiblanco.

Jules Kounde has begun to come into his own in a position that is now familiar to him but is still one that he doesn’t like.

Injuries permitting, all four are likely to line up against Paris Saint-Germain, with the only possible change being Cancelo for Fort.

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Kylian Mbappe in particular will provide the sternest test of Barcelona’s defensive capabilities, however, I’d suggest that they will be more than up to the task.

If they’re looking for inspiration on how to beat the French giants, they’ll find it in Newcastle’s performance earlier in the competition.

A consistent high press that smothers the capability of PSG’s midfield to build any meaningful attacks, with a defence that sits slightly off of the French team’s forward line so they’re not exposed.

Mbappe will be ultra keen to show his Real Madrid paymasters that ‘this is what I can do,’ whilst Barça can frustrate him for long periods by cutting off his supply line.

These two legs could be the making of this team and I wouldn’t be surprised to see us in the semis at PSG’s expense.