The two faces of the Barcelona leadership LaLiga Santander Opposite conclusions after five official matches

It's taken four match days for Barcelona to become outright leader in LaLiga Santander, however, on the eve of the Champions League opener against PSV at the Camp Nou, there are some collective and individual doubts.

As far as results are concerned, the team are unbeatable.

And Real Madrid's draw at the Estadio San Mames against Athletic Club leaves the reigning champion, who won a tough match at the always difficult Estadio Anoeta, as the only team with a 100 percent record at the start of the season.

To paraphrase Ernesto Valverde, there are several 'certainties' that contribute to the Catalans being the league leaders.

The growth of Philippe Coutinho for a start.

Accustomed to starting from a more forward position, he has worked hard to make a midfield role compatible with his skill set.

Ousmane Dembele, scorer of the goal at Real Sociedad (he already has four this season) was also a constant threat for the Basque defence.

Barcelona will be indebted to Luis Suarez for getting the team back into that match, and he is another player who is evolving positively at the start of this campaign.

His double against Huesca got the monkey off of his back and at Anoeta, he was in the right place at the right time again.

All three took positive steps to make up for a weak afternoon from Lionel Messi.

But they would not have celebrated the victory without the key intervention of Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, maintaining the level of performance he offered last year.

The theme of rotation reared its ugly head again.

Ernesto Valverde rarely changes his staff, but when he dares to do it, those involved don't respond.

Nelson Semedo is the most painful example: his two starts in the league have seen him play only 45 minutes.

Further, the choice of the 'Txingurri' to help consolidate, Arturo Vidal, hasn't done much either when given the chance.

The Chilean is supposed to "give strength to the midfield," but at the moment, with him on the pitch, ball possession decreases.