This Barça allows you to dream

Four wins in a row for Barça. Three in a row in La Liga, with comeback included. Barcelona did not deserve to suffer as they did at Elche, they had chances to rack up a big score like in recent games against Napoli, Valencia, Athletic. But this time they were inaccurate, and Pedri made a rare mistake. Barca had to sweat but those wins taste better. They strengthen the project. The Barça Xavi is building is strong enough to overcome adversity and look forward with optimism.

It looks increasingly likely to finish in the top four. They last tasted league defeat in December. Eleven games ago with seven wins and four draws. If the league started in January, they would be top, but that's sadly not the case. They lost too much ground at the start to compete for it.

This was the first step of a big challenge, the first of five games in two weeks. Two Europa clashes with Galatasaray follow, either side of Osasuna, then the Clasico in Madrid.

Are Barça ready? The response at Elche shows they can step up at decisive moments. Dreaming is now allowed