Philippe Coutinho might just prove to be a £150m bargain for Barcelona
When Barcelona lost Andres Iniesta in the summer, it was considered to be the end of an era. Almost all of the Camp Now had rued when the Catalans moved away from Guardiola's much-vaunted style of keeping the ball from the opposition and Iniesta's departure had come as a final nail in that coffin.
Brought from Liverpool after a prolonged saga, Philippe Coutinho was anointed as Andres Iniesta successor and the one to carry the Barca flame forward from midfield.
To fair to the Brazilian, he is a completely different type of player to the La Masia graduate. An attacking minded midfielder with an eye for goal, the former Espanyol man might never be able to dictate play like Iniesta.
However, Iniesta's ability to keep the ball from opposition players and almost always pick the right pass to keep the ball was the synthesis of the old Barcelona.
The Catalans are moving on under Ernesto Valverde, with pragmatism replacing blind beliefs in their own ideals. Keeping hold of the ball has been and still is important to them, but their lightning-quick transitions through the middle of the park have been a sight to behold.
This is where Coutinho is at his best. The Brazilian should help Valverde and his team create an attacking quarter that will strike fear into the hearts of most European defences. With Busquets and Rakitic alongside him, he has the freedom to roam around most areas in midfield without having to a lot of dirty work that would have normally been asked of him.
He essentially works as a number 10 playing from the left-hand side of a midfield three when at his best and supplements Messi as the side's creative force. Doing all of that while having an eye for efforts from outside the box that find the back of the net more often than not mean that Coutinho is the perfect fit for a new era at Barcelona.
The Blaugrana will be aiming to wrestle back a European title from their eternal rivals this season. And Coutinho could be the X-factor they need to overcome the hurdles that they have faced in the years past.
A terrifying front three can only get you so far if you don't have the creativity and steel from midfield to support it, as has been proven over the last couple of years.
And as teams will focus on their energy on containing Leo Messi's brilliance and keeping Luis Suarez at bay, Coutinho will be left with the burden of creating effectively for his side. If we've learned anything from his years at Liverpool, it is that he won't disappoint.
It will take some time and there will be some games where Coutinho flatters to deceive, but, with games like the one he had against Huesca this week, the little magician from Brazil is showing he can dovetail with one of the greatest players in the world while still managing to hold his own while creating for other members of the team.
Last season marked the completion a shift of identity for Barcelona that had started with Luis Enrique's reign. Gone are the days of old of keeping the ball at all costs and are replaced by a new midfield with more pragmatic but decisive approach. And Coutinho, in the middle of his prime, is the creative force of this offensive juggernaut.
If he keeps his wits about him throughout the season while easing the creative burden on Leo Messi, Philippe Coutinho might just be a £150 million bargain.