Barcelona scored some spectacular goals in their 6-0 thrashing of hopelessly outclassed Getafe.
– Barcelona’s Messi, Luis Suarez & Neymar annihilate Getafe
– Real Madrid, Atletico facing transfer bans
– Lewandowski fractures cheek, Robben’s season over
Luis Suarez’s volley for his first and powerful drive for his second; Xavi’s delicious curler into the top right corner; Lionel Messi’s subtle caress into the top left from an impossible angle: they were all special strikes.
The most encouraging aspect of Tuesday night’s game for the Catalan club, however, was not how their goals were scored…but how they were created.
Following a bizarre pattern whereby whoever scored the previous goal appeared to be contractually obliged to create the next, Messi started the feast of assists by floating a delicious inswinging pass into the penalty area for Suarez to finish.
The Uruguayan then teed up Neymar, who duly obliged with the final pass for Xavi to stroke home number four.
The veteran midfielder was next on the assists sheet with a deft flick to Suarez, who subsequently found Messi for the Argentine to complete the scoring shortly after the break.
#LigaBBVA jornada 34: #FCBarcelona 6 (@leomessi min 46) #Getafe 0, #Barça #Barcelona #i… (Vine by @GolesFCB) https://t.co/wG7H9lJIqq
— Mats Olson (@MettaWorldOlson) April 29, 2015
This all goes to show Barca – and in particular their front three – are now a smoothly functioning unit, working for each other and with each other to win games.
It wasn’t always that way. Throughout last season under Tata Martino, and in the early weeks of the current campaign under Luis Enrique, Barca frequently resorted to the rather feeble tactic of standing around and waiting for Messi to conjure something up.
That approach was horribly evident, for example, during a miserable 1-0 home defeat against Celta Vigo in November, when Barca clearly had little idea of how they were supposed to play together as a team (in the true sense of the word) rather than relying on isolated outbreaks of individual brilliance.
The turning point came in early January, following a tumultuous week containing a 1-0 loss at Real Sociedad and widespread reports that Messi was considering leaving the club after falling out with Enrique.
It concluded with a more than tough test against Atletico Madrid, which even at the time was perceived as a do-or-die moment for Barca under Enrique. They came through it with flying colours, playing as a committed and together unit for the first time in a long time, winning 3-1.
With Messi newly positioned on the right wing, Suarez unsettling opposing centre backs through the middle, Neymar doing his thing on the left and the full-backs playing a key role as attacking catalysts, history will probably regard that game as the birth of a new Barca and they haven’t looked back since.
However, Neymar, Suarez and Messi as the front three is something else and for that reason I’m tipping Barcelona for Champions League!
— Imran (@Imran619Ahmed) April 29, 2015
Fast forward a few months, with everybody on the same page and knowing how they should function as a collective, the rewards are there for all to see.
Most importantly, the front three are gelling beautifully, with Suarez’s selfless running creating gaps for his fellow South Americans to cut inside from their starting wide positions, while Messi’s ability to create chances with passes from wide areas has added a new dimension to his game.
The next few weeks could become historic: the La Liga title is just four wins away, Athletic Bilbao should be rolled over in the Copa del Rey final and Bayern Munich are decimated by injuries.
If Barca can keep playing as a team, a glorious treble is very much on the cards.
