Arda Turan accepts Luis Enrique's challenge to him

Midfielder Arda Turan has generated a debate amongst the Barcelona support in recent months. 

The elevated fee that the club paid Atletico Madrid for his services and his difficulty in adapting to the standards of the team when he was finally able to play, at the start of last season, led to the fans questioning if the Turkish international had a future at Barça. 

During some weeks in the summer transfer market, it seemed as if Turan was close to leaving the Catalan capital, as some Premier League and Turkish clubs showed interest in him, but the Turk made it clear to his representative, Ahmet Bulut, that his decision was to stay at the Camp Nou.

Luis Enrique gave the player a week's less holiday than expected, given his participation at Euro 2016, and had a chat with him about what was expected this season. 

The arrival of Arda had been a personal request by the Asturian boss, so he was willing to continue having faith in the player, with some conditions.

The club would submit the midfielder to a strict control of his weight and he would decrease the number of visits to Istanbul to attend advertising events. 

The first weeks of work have been sufficient to see that Turan will do everything possible to respond to the coach's confidence, who in his first press conference of pre-season compared the player's situation with that of Michael Laudrup or even Luis Suarez, and requested some patience.

Turan scored Barça's first goal in pre-season, in the first quarter of an hour of the game against Celtic, and, coincidence or not, it was the best way to show that he wants to recover the essence of his play at Atletico Madrid which was named "Ardaturanism".

On Sunday, in the first official match of the season against Sevilla, the midfielder again performed at the level that the fans expect from him.

Luis Enrique played him out of his most comfortable position and relocated him to the left side of attack.

His involvement in Barça's play was constant. Turan felt comfortable to the point of trying an overhead kick in the first half.

In the second half, a sensational assist with his chest for Luis Suarez helped to break the deadlock.

The Turk is in the process of getting to recognisable form, but at the moment his response to the confidence shown in him has been exactly what Luis Enrique had been hoping for.