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Has Joao Cancelo made Barcelona better?

This isn’t the same Barcelona that won La Liga a few months ago.

That team was led by the heroics of Marc-Andre ter Stegen who tied Francisco Liano for the most clean sheets in Spanish history at 26.

The German keeper played in front of a four-man backline that for the majority of the season used a center-back, Ronald Araujo or Jules Kounde, to neutralize dangerous counter attacks that plagued the team the year before.

Playing this way wasn’t the plan. Understandably, Xavi wasn’t convinced by Sergino Dest or Sergi Roberto, and was quickly turned off by new signing Hector Bellerin.