In mid-August, Pep Guardiola, asked for his opinion about the work of Tito Vilanova, said, “we have to wait at least ten games to draw conclusions.” After this reasonable period of time, Tito has proven that he can manage the best team. Barça is the only European club to have won all its games played in both the domestic league and in the Champions League.

Vilanova has completed his first 10 official matches with good results. Nine wins and only one defeat in the second leg of the Supercopa of Spain at the Bernabeu. In the league, Vilanova is triumphant so far, and he enters the history books of the club as the coach with the best league start, along with Bellamy, Cruyff, Van Gaal and Guardiola, all with six victories.

Barça is the same as always, decisive and winning, but with personality and a skilled coach who has been forced to adapt to the circumstances. All of his line-ups have been influenced by injuries. Eight players -Alves, Adriano, Alba, Alexis, Iniesta, Piqué, Thiago (twice), and Puyol (three times)- have missed games due to injuries. Against Sevilla, Vilanova missed four at one time. This is not to mention the long-term injuries of Cuenca, Muniesa and Abidal. The defensive line has been the most affected, as only Mascherano and Song have remained injury-free.

In ten games, Tito has shown that the 4-3-3 scheme is working. In addition, the technician has demonstrated sufficient ability to read, interpret and correct tactics during a game. He also showed great character when he opted for Cesc and Alexis against all critics, surely this coach has authority in the locker room.

Source: mundodeportivo.com; Image credit: AP Photo/Manu Fernandez