Barcelona season seems to have taken a turn for the better, and quickly too. How else can we describe Xavi's team going 10 games unbeaten in all competitions? It's common knowledge they had lost three of their last five games before this impressive unbeaten streak started. So this is their best form since they went 12 unbeaten at the start of the campaign.
Let's talk about five players whose immense performances are driving the team towards two major trophies at the end of the season.
Robert Lewandowski
The experienced goal poacher is hitting top form just at the right time. Big Robert is standing up to be counted with seven goals and three assists in those 10 games under review. That's about a goal contribution per game now, which is quite impressive.
Lewandowski's bad patch can be considered water under the bridge with the striker now at 20 goals in all competitions this term. He's also contributed 9 assists which is nothing short of remarkable for a centre-forward.
Pau Cubarsi
Cubarsi has played so well for Barca that he's been rewarded with a call-up to the Spanish national team at the age of 17. Now he could smash Sergio Ramos' record by becoming the youngest-ever defender to play for Spain's senior team.
The teenager is another reason why Barca's defence has become water-tight once again with just six goals conceded in the last 9 games he featured in. The Spaniard has also been tremendous with his passing averaging a 92% pass accuracy per game. It's why Xavi says he has peace when Cubarsi is with the ball.
Ter Stegen
It's no coincidence that Barca have started keeping clean sheets again since Ter Stegen's return from injury in early February. For the first time this season, Barca have just recently kept four clean sheets in a row and it's all thanks to Big Marc in goal.
The German goalie has now managed 12 shut-outs in his 25 appearances for Barca this term. It's not close to his outrageous numbers last season but it's an impressive average for any goalkeeper.
Ilkay Gundogan
Without question, Ilkay Gundogan was Barca's best signing last summer. It almost seems unfair to compare him to Oriol Romeu or even Inigo Martinez. The German midfielder has been that good.
Recently, Gundogan's performance has improved even further as he plays a more advanced role in midfield. The 33-year-old has returned 10 assists this season plus five goals. He didn't even make that many assists under Pep Guardiola last season (7).
Lamine Yamal
It's becoming ever so obvious that Barca have a priceless gem in Lamine Yamal. A 16-year-old can single-handedly win matches, like he showed against Mallorca, is no joke.
The Spaniard has 13 goal contributions (6 goals, 7 assists) this season. It's a number most wingers can be proud of. Dembele for instance has only scored one goal for PSG after 32 games.
It's all about managing Lamine's minutes now to avoid overworking him. It's scary that such a young boy has played 43 matches for club and country this season. Thankfully, Raphinha's form is also picking up which allows Xavi to rotate. We saw that against Atleti.
That's it from me. Who would you add to this list?
