Barcelona have a plan to win without Messi

Whilst the shadow of Lionel Messi loomed large over the Camp Nou during Barcelona's LaLiga Santander opener on Sunday evening, Ronald Koeman's side showed that there is life after the Argentine with a 4-2 victory over Real Sociedad.

The Blaugrana put in an excellent display as they demonstrated that they have a plan to win without Messi.

The first notable aspect of their performance was the collective effort out of possession, with each of the 10 outfield players putting in an enormous shift to nullify La Real's threat.

As a Barcelona player, Messi had on many occasions been liberated from these responsibilities by his coaches, and the lack of collective effort from the front was even clearer when he formed a strike partnership with Luis Suarez.

Barcelona's second goal on the night, scored by Martin Braithwaite, came about as their high press saw Eric Garcia dispossess Adnan Januzaj, before the home side broke to score.

In possession, Barcelona's performance was just as impressive, as they created a series of key chances which were distributed amongst the attackers, instead of being attempted by Messi.

Griezmann stood out

If there was one player who epitomised his side's all-action performance, it was Antoine Griezmann.

Although he did not find the back of the net, Griezmann was a constant threat throughout, rattling the crossbar with a fierce strike, whilst also showing a high level of commitment to his side's defensive efforts.

Koeman summed up at full time just how his team are aiming to adapt without Messi this season.

"Our football can be more collective than before," said Koeman.

"Of course we do not have a player [Messi] who decides matches on his own.

"This is more collective."

Whilst it is just the start of the season, the signs are already positive for Barcelona.