Neymar, Suarez and Rafinha were in top form for Barcelona as the Catalan giants breezed past a hapless Sporting Gijon.
The Brazil captain was the cream of the crop for Barcelona as he registered two goals. His first one was a poacher’s goal, but his second was a sublime long-ranged effort that left the opposition keeper with no chance to prevent the ball from going into the back of the net.
Striker Luis Suarez also grabbed a goal while Rafinha and Arda Turan also managed to register their names on the scoresheet for the Catalan outfit.
Here are The Hard Tackle’s takeaways from the game:
Prolific performance from Neymar and Suarez
The big news prior to kick-off was the absence of Messi due to a groin injury. Youngster Rafinha deputised for the missing Argentine and put up a stellar performance on the day.
The young Spanish attacker posed to be a constant threat to Gijon left-back Gora. Neymar, too, was at his usual best, cutting in on a number of occasions down Barca’s left.
Luis Suarez was extremely potent in front of goal and kept the Gijon defenders on their toes everytime the ball was at his feet.
Rafinha continues to impress
Rafinha seems to have adapted well with the Barcelona system and is at home playing down the right flank. Due to the omnipresent Messi, who occupies the same position, Rafinha has to be content with his limited time on the field of play.
But with the injury to the Argentine, the Spanish attacker proved to be an able replacement. He was excellent in attack and was constantly on the move, waiting for the ball to be fed into his stride. A top display from a top talent.
Gijon commit cynical errors
Gijon looked like a second-grade side throughout the game and the heavy defeat throws light on how disorganized and haphazard they looked as a unit. They rarely seemed in charge of proceedings and were humiliated in front of their home fans.
Manager Abelardo Fernandez gave his men the freedom to roam from their positions which the Barca attackers capitalised on. They failed to retain possession, made school-boy errors and were outclassed from the opening whistle.
In a stiff battle against relegation, Gijon need to pull up their socks or they may see some of their rivals make up ground on them in the race for survival.
Enrique gets emphatic win
It was a tactical masterclass by Barca boss Luis Enrique. Ahead of a huge Champions League game against Borrusia Monchengladbach, the Spanish gaffer decided to rest a number of his key first-team players.
The big names to miss out were Jordi Alba, Javier Mascherano, Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic. New signings Lucas Digne and Andre Gomes were handed rare starts while Denis Suarez continued to win plaudits playing at the heart of the Catalan midfield.
