The departure of Neymar to PSG in the summer threatened the project of Valverde in Catalonia. An uncontrollable summer suggested that the first few months for the former Spanish footballer-turned-coach were not going to be particularly easy, especially after suffering a heavy defeat in the Spanish Super Cup against arch-rivals Real Madrid.
However, nothing could be further from the truth. The 53-year-old was satisfied with what he had, which man thought was not enough, and put his people to work. The victories started coming and, little by little, his side got used to his methods. Gone was the presence of 'tiki-taka', instead replaced with a more solid team structure than was on show during the previous season.
He would go on to record an impeccable first round in La Liga. 19 games later, plus 10 from other competitions, meant that the Spanish giants are now unbeaten in 29 matches, only drawing three. Not only do they have a nine-point-cushion over Atletico, but with their other main rivals in Madrid struggling to find form, Barca are an impressive 19-points ahead of Zinedine Zidane's squad.
Compared to former Barca boss Pep Guardiola, who produced quite a legacy at the Camp Nou, the current manager has already broken some of his records. The Manchester City coach had an unbeaten record of 28 games during the 2010-11 season, drawing five, which isn't quite as good as the run the team are currently on. Although Valverde has some way to go to beat Luis Enrique's record, who took the Catalan club to 39 games unbeaten in the 2015-16 campaign.
Things could barely have started better for the Barcelona boss. He has the capabilities to exceed what his predecessors achieved and is slowly bringing the city round to his style: with little noise but massive effect.