He came to embody the summer from hell for Barcelona. Of course, Neymar left for Paris Saint-Germain in a world record transfer deal that shook the footballing world, but it was the arrival of another Brazilian at Camp Nou that was used by many to illustrate the problems at the Catalan club. Paulinho wasn’t a popular signing.
Arriving at Barca from the Chinese Super League, his signing was widely questioned. This was, after all, a player who had failed not so long ago to make much of an impression at Spurs. Had he really proved himself to such an extent in China that a move to arguably the biggest club in the world was justified?
Just over a month later, though, and Paulinho has silenced more than a few doubters, scoring in back to back games for his new side, netting a winner against Celta Vigo at the weekend and adding his name to the score sheet in the 6-1 rout of Eibar on Tuesday night, also putting on two assists for Lionel Messi in the process.
“[Paulinho] adds something different, something we didn't have in the squad with the other players,” Ernesto Valverde explained after the win over Eibar. “He makes those runs into the area, he's [a threat] from set plays. At the beginning, he was a little lost, but he's been getting up to speed. Other players have more positional play; he's strength, breaking the lines, set plays. The goal[s] have helped him settle.”
He might not have forced his way into the first team fold, but the 29-year-old is proving himself to be a valuable option for new Barcelona manager Valverde. And that’s precisely what he was signed to offer - an option. He gives Barca something different, something they didn't have before.
That’s something Barcelona have spent a long time looking for. Luis Enrique spent much of last summer searching for players who would give him another dimension, explaining why Paco Alcacer and Andre Gomes were signed, the idea being that they were not like the players they already had. Of course, both Alcacer and Gomes have so far failed to live up to their billing, falling down the pecking order.
Paulinho gives Barcelona the sort of Plan B they have required for years. Even going back to the days of Pep Guardiola at Camp Nou, the Catalans lacked a mechanism to change the style and manner of their play. Their new Brazilian midfielder does that, demonstrated by his winner against Getafe on Saturday.
With time running out, Paulinho took it upon himself to barge through the packed opposition defence, smashing home a strike from a tight angle, almost taking the goalkeeper into the net with the ball. No other player on the player would have had the thought to do that. Messi might have dribbled his way through the Getafe defence, Andres Iniesta might have unpicked it with a pass, but Paulinho was the only one capable of forcing the goal through sheer willpower.
So while it is certainly true that Paulinho isn’t a Barcelona type of player, that was the idea behind his signing. The Catalans have signed far too many players of a similar mould over the years, contributing to the issues they experienced last season, when Enrique lacked the options and depth to change games. The signing of Paulinho marked a change, and despite initial appearances and criticism, it was a positive change. Only now is that becoming apparent.
