Barcelona brought their pre-season to a close with a commanding 4-0 win over Napoli in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and on the whole Ernesto Valverde will be pleased with what he has seen from his side, especially given how poorly Real Madrid's pre-season campaign has gone.
The Blaugrana went on tour to Japan and United States, whilst also disputing the Joan Gamper Trophy against Arsenal, and it gave their fans an opportunity to see how Frenkie de Jong, Antoine Griezmann and, to a lesser extent, Neto and Junior Firpo would perform in their first few games as Barcelona players.
What has been noticeable is how De Jong and Griezmann in particular have improved as the pre-season went on, although there is still plenty of work ahead. Junior, meanwhile, is still in the process of adapting to life under Valverde after being the last player to arrive this summer, but he will no doubt play an important role as Jordi Alba's backup this season.
We have reviewed how Barcelona's squad have performed during this pre-season:
As always, the German provided safety between the sticks and regularly starts Barcelona's moves. Like the whole team, he got better as the pre-season went on.
The Brazilian goalkeeper showed that he can be a reliable alternative to Ter Stegen.
Semedo made it clear during pre-season that he has to be Barcelona's starting right-back. Valverde clearly recognised that and has moved Sergi Roberto back to midfield. He was good defensively and daring in attack, just what Barcelona needs.
He finished the pre-season with some good performances, although there is still room for improvement. Regardless, Pique remains Barcelona's best defender.
The Frenchman has shown his promise and demonstrated that he loves tackling and heading. In the first match against Napoli, in which the defence was a disaster, he was the only member of the back four who could keep his head held high.
What was known at the end of last season continues to be the case: Lenglet has to be Pique's centre-back partner. It's been a strong pre-season for the 24-year-old.
His debut pre-season exposed a few of his faults, particularly defensively, but there is no denying that Wague has a bright future. There is plenty of room for improvement, though.
As usual, Jordi Alba will come into the new season in good condition. The arrival of Junior Firpo should keep him on his toes.
Barcelona need to be worried about Umtiti. From what has been seen in these five pre-season matches, he is far from the player that established himself as Pique's partner in defence. You could make the case that he is still recovering from his injury, but it doesn't look good.
The newest Barcelona signing is in the right physical condition but it is clear that he is still understanding what it is that Valverde wants from him. Time will tell with Junior. He'll have a tough time displacing Jordi Alba.
Reliable, as always. His return to midfield is good news so long as the right-backs drop their level, which is why he moved to that position in the first place. Sergi Roberto will have to fight for a place in the starting line-up.
One of the most impressive Barcelona players in pre-season. He has scored goals, had an impact on the game and, in short, been Rakitic. It will be difficult for Valverde to drop him, despite the arrival of Frenkie de Jong.
Busquets has continued to show what was becoming evident last season: he is slow and is making mistakes that he never seemed to make before. Still, he has not lost his ability on the ball.
He barely participated in pre-season after joining the team late, having played in the Copa America with Brazil. Against Napoli in Ann Arbor, Coutinho was positive and fresh.
The same case as Coutinho. Arthur has not played enough to draw a definitive conclusion about his performances, despite joining training earlier than planned. He seems ready to take a leap this season.
Rafinha showed the quality that has seen all of his coaches at Barcelona take an interest in him. He knows the Blaugrana's style inside out, is reliable and is often decisive. When he can play the Brazilian performs well, but injuries are always the worry with him.
One of the few first-team players from La Masia, Alena began to shine as the pre-season went on, as Valverde himself recognised. The 21-year-old performed excellently in the second match against Napoli, but he is going to struggle for minutes this season.
Barcelona's best player in pre-season. De Jong has already provided enough evidence to show why the club were so keen to bring him to Catalonia, and he has brought a breath of fresh air to the team's game. It will be a surprise if he doesn't start against Athletic Club on Friday night.
His participation in the Copa America has meant that we have not seen much of him. The little that Arturo Vidal has played, he's looked like he did last season: reliable, energetic and smart.
The Uruguayan only played the last three games of pre-season but he made an instant impact, scoring a last-minute winner against Arsenal in the Gamper. The surgery that he underwent at the end of last season seems to have paid off as he looks fresher than he has done in previous pre-seasons. Luis Suarez will once again play an important role for Barcelona in 2018/19.
The notable absentee from the Blaugrana's pre-season. Messi was the last to join up with the squad for pre-season and picked up an injury in his first training session back. He will miss Barcelona's LaLiga Santander opener against Athletic.
The Frenchman has looked good. With each game that passes, it's clear that he is understanding his teammates more and more. Griezmann and Suarez have linked up to good effect thus far, but let's see what happens with Messi returns.
His pre-season has been very positive, with the winger being more in tune with his teammates and the general day-to-day goings on at the club. It is likely to have something to do with the arrival of his friend Griezmann, yet Dembele still has the same problem: he is unpredictable with the ball at his feet, even for his teammates.
Valverde has done what he usual does at this time of the year: he has tested lots of players and focussed on giving the players minutes. He has not hidden his frustration with the way in which Barcelona's pre-season was organised, with trips to Japan and the United States sandwiching the Gamper.
The young defender took part in the Japanese tour and was one of the more exciting players.
In addition to his goals, Carles Perez has made it clear that he can play a role at Barcelona. Under another head coach, he would have already made the jump to the first team.
Another youth product that shone on the Japanese tour. If there were not so many players in his position in the first-team squad, Collado could have been given opportunity to stake a claim for a place in the squad.
He is a centre-back that is very much in the Uruguayan mould. Araujo showed his potential in Japan and should be a player that Barcelona monitor closely.
He made the most of the opportunities he had on the Japanese tour. While Monchu didn't necessarily shine, he was decent.
Riqui Puig is a strange case. The 19-year-old was one of Barcelona's best performers in pre-season, but everyone - including him - knows that he is unlikely to get the minutes he needs this season. It looks like he is going to depart on loan.
Barcelona's B team striker took part in the matches against Napoli, following his participation in Spain's victorious European Under-19 Championship triumph. He looked dangerous and could have a future at the Camp Nou.