Barcelona swatted Eibar aside as they continued their fine run of form in recent games
Despite Real Madrid’s unbeaten run – which ended last week – and Barcelona’s struggles this season, the Catalans are only 2 points behind Los Blancos although Zinedine Zidane’s men do have a game in hand.
Denis Suarez opened the scoring before goals from Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar gave Barcelona a 4-0 victory over an Eibar side that rarely threatened Mar-Andre ter Stegen.
It was a routine victory for Barcelona, and Enrique will be hoping for more of these as the season progresses. Barca are starting to look unbeatable again, and it is high time they started playing the way everyone knows they can. We take a look at some of the key talking points from the game.
Messi’s brilliance on show again
Lionel Messi – who has hinted at a new contract with Barcelona – once again proved why so many think he is a better player than Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi’s footballing intelligence is second almost to none, and his goal was a perfect example of that.
Driving deep from midfield, Messi picked out Luis Suarez on the right before showcasing some excellent off-the-ball movement. Messi made a brilliant run into the box simply ghosting past Eibar’s defenders before Suarez picked him out. The Argentinian was unruffled by the charge of Eibar’s keeper and slotted the ball home.
It all looked extremely simple although it was anything but that. His run should have been picked up by at least one Eibar player, but the intelligence and timing Messi showed to sneak into the box at full pelt was a thing of beauty.
Suarez earns the plaudits
Luis Suarez’s role in the victory was also crucial after the Uruguayan forward picked up a goal and an assist. His telepathic understanding with Lionel Messi was on display yet again after he perfectly timed his ball into the box and also weighted it perfectly, leaving Messi with a fairly straightforward finish.
He also showed just how hungry he is for goals after chasing down Florian Lejeune, who he then muscled off the ball with ease. Lejeune attempted to handle the ball and knock it out of Suarez’s reach as he fell to the floor, but Suarez showed brilliant reflexes to flick it past the defender’s reach.
A goal was inevitable after that, and the Uruguayan charged down on Yoel who gave him too much space at the near post – something that is sure to be punished when facing a striker who is as clinical as Suarez.
Neymar drought no more!
Neymar will be hugely relieved after scoring his first La Liga goal since October. The Brazilian’s last goal came in a 3-4 defeat to Celta Vigo all the way back in last October, and although he did break his scoreless streak in the Copa del Rey victory against Athletic Bilbao he had not scored in the league yet.
A combination of bad luck and slightly disappointing performances have contributed to his barren run, but Neymar still showed showed ice-cold composure to slot home Barcelona’s fourth goal of the game. This was also the second time in 3 fixtures that MSN all got on the scoresheet.
Luis Enrique’s men all hitting good form at the right time
Luis Enrique was understandably pleased that Barcelona look like they are starting a run of form that had to come sooner rather than later after last night’s victory, and it looks like his key players are embarking on a similar run of form as well.
Luis Suarez has scored in 8 goals in his last 10 matches, Neymar has scored in 3 consecutive matches and Lionel Messi has 9 goals in his last 10 matches. When MSN are firing together, there are few teams in the world that can stop them.
Enrique will be hoping that they can continue this form as it is no coincidence that Barcelona have begun to dominate teams given their return to the level we all know they can perform at. Neymar in particular looked like a shadow of his former self over the last few months but has been brilliant in Barcelona’s last 3 victories.
Sergio Busquets’ injury will be a worry
Busquets was on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Gonzalo Escalante and left the field on a stretcher after 10 minutes, and his injury will definitely be a big worry for the Catalans. Luis Enrique was optimistic about his injury after the game but the fact that Busquets left on a stretcher will mean he will definitely miss a couple of fixtures at the very least.
Busquets is very, very important to this Barcelona side as his defensive contribution as well as his intelligence on the ball keep Barcelona ticking over in games. Andres Iniesta and Rafinha are already nursing minor injuries, and Iniesta did not feature last night.
Enrique will be hoping Busquets does indeed make a quick recovery as any more injuries to his midfielders will leave them extremely light in that position.
