Thierry Henry endured a difficult first season at the Camp Nou following his £16 million pound transfer from Highbury to Barcelona last year. 

While Barça struggled for form in the league, Henry frequently bore the brunt of criticism from expectant fans and media - who all wanted to know why the Frenchman was unable to reproduce the dazzling form he had so often shown at Highbury. The goals were still there, but the Frenchman looked ill at ease in an unfamiliar position on the wing and in a side that failed to play to his strengths: Barcelona frequently over-passed, played without urgency and failed to get the ball forward quickly enough. The Frenchman complained that all too often his darting runs and attempts to find space were ignored by his team mates.

As the club's second consecutive season without a major trophy came to a close, the notoriously hard to please Barcelona  fans grew increasingly frustrated with the state of affairs at the club. Of course, it did not help that they were forced to endure the sight of their bitter rivals in Madrid celebrating back to back La Liga titles.

The fans let their feelings be known and a summer of major upheaval followed: Rijkaard paid the price with his job; political infighting and major upheaval in the boardroom ensued; and a number of the club's most emblematic players departed.

However, just two months after last season drew to a close, and as the new season approaches, there is a palpably different mood at the Camp Nou. The managerial appointment of Pep Guardiola, and the arrival of Seydou Keita, Gerard Piqué, Daniel Alves, Martín Cáceres and Aleksandr Hleb, has ushered in a newfound sense of optimism at the club.

Guardiola has overseen a greater emphasis on physical training, introduced a number of tactical changes and instilled a stricter disciplinary code and work ethic in to the dressing room: all of which seems to be going down well with the players and has led to a 100% record in pre-season.

There was a carnival atmosphere at the Camp Nou as Barcelona swept aside Wisla Krakow in the first leg of their Champions League qualifying match last Wednesday, and Barcelona were impressive: playing with a greater intensity and tempo that placed an emphasis upon a more direct style of play. All of which seems to suit Thierry Henry, who received a standing ovation from the Camp Nou crowd after getting on the score sheet in the 4-0 win.

I caught up with Thierry after the game and as we looked ahead to the second leg in Germany next week, I asked him for his thoughts on the new era at the Camp Nou…

Guillem:    You must be pleased with that performance and it looks as if you are guaranteed a place in the next round…

Thierry Henry:    'Yes, the team played really well. We were united and we kept the ball, playing across the pitch and when we lost possession we won it back quickly.  You could see that the team left a good impression. But, you know, we are still playing in pre-season, so we're still not quite there yet.'

'We have to be happy, but there is still room for improvement. We are not through because in football anything can happen. We do not know if the tie has been settled. It is more important that we did not concede a goal. But we have to be careful because this team can still surprise us.'

Guillem:   Your personal performance seemed to go down very well with the fans, your efforts where recognised with a standing ovation as you were taken off…

Henry:    'I think that the ovation was for the whole team because everyone wanted the team to play like that. People enjoyed it, they liked what they saw.'

'This time it was me who was taken off because, under Guardiola, we are putting a great deal more pressure on the opposition and playing with much more intensity. That means more running and we are leaving the field very tired; but that's what the guys on the bench are for and we have a great squad here now.'

Guillem:    It's only been 2 months since the end of last season, but judging by the mood here, it feels more like two years…

Henry:   'A lot of the guys have been here for quite some time: myself I've been here for just one year. But this feels like a new year or a new beginning. The boss has brought in lots of his own players and others have left. You can really see that something is happening, you can see that we are already playing as a team.'

 'I'm not saying that we are going to win everything, but what I am saying is that you can already see that this is a different kind of team.'

'We are playing with a lot of pressure high up the pitch, and that's always good: we get the ball back earlier and that means we're regaining possession higher up the pitch: not getting drawn back quite so deep.  That means we're getting the ball forward a lot quicker and we are also playing nearer the opposition goal so there's less ground to cover to go and score goals.

We scored four today, it could have been even more, but it wasn't an easy game and we are going to have to be careful over there.'

Guillem:     In your case, it's important for you that the team plays 10-15 metres further forward than last season…

Henry:    'It is, it is! One of the most important things is that the ball travels quicker,  and getting the ball forward more quickly can mean the difference between running at one defender or running - and trying to find space - against three. Not everybody has an ability to dribble in the box, we have guys that can do that, but you know, I prefer running in to space.'

 I like the game to be played at pace and for the ball to be played forward quickly - and that's what we are doing now. I don't know if you saw any of the games in pre-season, but we've been scoring a lot of goals and we could have scored a lot more. We're playing with a lot of pressure, everybody moving the ball around quickly.'

'I'll say this to you, you never know what can happen throughout the season but right now, we look like a team.  There's a spirit there, the fans have seen it. We're going to put up a fight.'