Lucy Bronze fears getting ‘stuck’ in Barcelona rondo as even Lionesses team-mate Keira Walsh has been taken aback by quality of Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmati & Co

Two England team-mates are now part of a star-studded squad at Barca, with the 2023 Champions League winners piecing together a side that is capable of competing for every major domestic and continental honour.

Bronze was lured away from the WSL at Manchester City because she has the ability to rub shoulders with the very best, while Lionesses colleague Walsh mixes graft with guile in the middle of the park. Neither has looked out of place in Spain, with levels in training and competitive action helping to keep collective minds focused.

Bronze has told The Women’s Game podcast when asked if she is ever left in awe of those around her: “Yeah, a few times. I had that at Lyon, but I think at Barcelona it was different. It was like the way that we train is so Spanish. And how they play with each is, I don’t know, it’s just a different kind of level and understanding that they’ve got. I remember even Keira, who’s you know a technical midfielder, she was like ‘oof, this is a lot’. I think Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati are obviously the two that everyone knows because of the Ballons d’Or and they score so many goals and are exceptional players. I think I was surprised that they’re all that technical, it’s not just those two. I think Mariona Caldentey is someone, she played in the World Cup, she’s probably one of the most underrated players I’ve ever played with and you just can’t get the ball off them. It’s like you go in a rondo and you just, you could just be stuck in there because no-one’s making a mistake.”

Barcelona boast a faultless record through 16 Liga F fixtures this season, with 48 points collected while scoring 72 goals and conceding just three. They are also through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with Norwegian outfit Brann set to be faced in the first knockout round of that competition.