Barcelona were at their tantalising best with a brilliant team performance in a 4-1 win against their local rivals.
Messi Magic
Lionel Messi showed us all why he is the best player in the world. The only player that can come close to replicating his slaloming runs is Andrés Iniesta as witnessed in this match. They both combined to put the Espanyol defense to the sword for the second goal. It was a remainder of how lucky we are to be seeing these players at the peak of their powers.
Near enough straight after the second goal, Barcelona regained possession and Messi went on another mesmerizing run with the ball ending up at the feet of Jordi Alba who promptly finished. Then to cap off an incredible performance, Messi did a wonderful one-two with Luis Suárez and promptly nutmegged the goalkeeper with a deft finish. What’s even more remarkable is that this was all in the second half because he was uncharacteristically quiet in the first. With the Argentinian maestro in this form, anything is possible.
Iniesta’s Importance
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The quality of the team performance was much higher than the majority of the recent matches. Much of that was due to the influence of the little magician. He is a unique player, one who brings the best out of those around him. His range of abilities allows Barcelona to climb to that tier where they are absolutely unplayable. The assist he provided for the first goal was exquisite, and showed us the remarkable vision he possesses.
Keeping Iniesta fit is key for Barcelona going in to the second half of the season because of his experience and ability. He has already shown that he is equally comfortable with either Denis Suárez, André Gomes, Ivan Rakitić or Rafinha as well as the ever-present Sergio Busquets. Therefore, his experience is vital for improving the younger players as well as taking some of the load off of Busquets. However, without him they struggle to unlock defences, so keeping him injury-free could decide how successful Barça are this season.
Significance of the Performance
It may seem like this article is devoted to gushing over the performance, but it was so good that it deserves to be praised in detail. I strongly advise anyone reading to watch the highlights because each of the goals is a joy to watch. So far this season, Barcelona have rarely come close to this level of performance. This is significant because Barcelona are usually better in the second half of the season with 2014/15 being a great example of this. There was the slip-up last season, but that was due to fatigue caused by the small squad size. This year there is a lot more depth to the squad which will be invaluable in the busy periods.
There is also clear progress being made by the summer signings as they have gotten used to the new surroundings. Barcelona might be starting to hit form based on this performance which gives us hope for the rest of the season. If so, they could start to generate some real momentum which is key for this period because they are competing on three fronts. Real and Atlético Madrid both have transfer bans as well. This means that they are stuck to the squads they have which limits their options. All in all, there is many reasons to be optimistic if you’re a Barcelona fan going in to the new year.