New beginnings. A new era. Call it whatever you like. Life at Barcelona is never going to be the same.
So, how were the blaugranes going to react without their talisman, Leo Messi? Without their focal point and the conduit through which everything seemed to pass through.
Messidependence or whatever... yada yada.
Well, actually, it was like the shackles had been thrown off. Barca played with a freedom and dynamism against Real Sociedad that was the equal, at times, of anything the team had done with Messi in situ.
If there was one criticism it was that, just like last season, the team ran out of steam towards the end and let La Real back in for a period.