During this poor, inconsistent season, we need to try and look at a few positives: Samuel Umtiti looks like the real deal and capable of leading the Blaugrana defense for the next decade; Marc-André ter Stegen has established himself as the undisputed goalkeeper and a very talented one; Lionel Messi is Lionel Messi, and the 'MSN' trio is still capable of producing even though the collective quality has completely gone south.
The most impressive thing about this season, however, is the one we're not talking about: a 17-match unbeaten streak in La Liga. This may seem like not a big deal because Barça don't lead La Liga and will probably need a victory at Santiago Bernabéu to have a shot at beating Real Madrid and winning a third straight league title. But going 17 matches without a loss even though the team hasn't played well in at least a dozen of those games is a testament to how good this team is.
Imagine if this team was well coached? We'll probably have to wait for Jorge Sampaoli to see this team being well coached again, but until the summer Luis Enrique is the man and he'll try to lead his mediocre team into an improbable La Liga trophy. The next challenge is Sporting Gijón at Camp Nou, and if Barça can reach 18 games without a loss, the streak will continue and league glory may still be a possibility.
Here's the problem, though: Barça's season has been so poor that we don't know if Barça can actually beat one of the worst teams in Spain. It's game by game, and the win won't come because of the coach.
TEAM NEWS
When: Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET
Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona
TV: beIN Sports
Stream: beIN Sports Connect and Fubo TV
