When Luis Enrique talked up the abilities of tonight’s opponents Celta Vigo, it certainly wasn’t just another case of a manager being polite.
Celta are indeed an extremely dangerous outfit, whose fast-paced approach more than justifies Enrique’s complimentary description of them as “one of the most entertaining teams in Europe”.
He should know, of course, having been largely responsible for kick-starting Celta into their lofty status with a successful campaign in 2013-14, which resulted in a ninth-placed finish in La Liga.
Although Enrique then departed for Barca, last season was even better for Celta as new coach Eduardo Berizzo led the team to eighth.
The summer gone by wasn’t easy, with Celta seeing key performers Michael Krohn-Dehli and Santi Mina depart whilst also crossing their fingers that Nolito, whose form earned him a Spain debut, would not be tempted away.
– La Liga: Barcelona's Enrique hails Celta Vigo's style of play
– RATE, SHARE & WIN: ValoraFutbol Fan Ratings
– La Liga Fans' Top 5: Lionel Messi leads the pack
In the end Nolito stayed, and the departees were replaced by an intriguing batch of new signings including Iago Aspas and versatile Danish international Daniel Wass.
Perhaps more importantly, though, Berizzo remained to maintain the team’s fast and furious style of play, which was first installed by Enrique and therefore bears more than a passing resemblance to Barca’s crisp passing, high-pressing philosophy.
Celta’s record last season against La Liga’s top teams shows just how good they are: they beat Barca at the Nou Camp, beat Atletico at home and drew with them away, and gave Real Madrid a big scare before eventually going down 4-2.
The opening weeks of the new season have been just as promising, and Celta are continuing their ascent towards the European places by heading into tonight unbeaten, in top form and looking to claim another major scalp.
