Barcelona talking points as Carles Alena's display a win for La Masia before Lionel Messi steals the show

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  • Barca and Real could meet in an El Clasico clash in the Copa del Rey final.

    Barcelona restored their five-point lead over Atletico Madrid at the top of the La Liga standings with a 3-1 win over Leganes at Camp Nou on Sunday night.

    Ousmane Dembele opened the scoring in the 32nd minute as the hosts dominated proceedings but were pegged back against the run of play just before the hour mark when Martin Braithwaite scored from the away side’s first shot.

    Lionel Messi started the encounter on the bench but was brought on in the 64th minute and inspired the Catalans to victory.

    His curling effort from distance was initially saved by Ivan Cuellar in the 71st minute before Luis Suarez turned in the rebound. The Argentine then got on the score sheet himself when he combined with Jordi Alba before finishing with aplomb during injury time.

    Here, we look at three talking points from the encounter.

    CARLES ANSWERS CATALAN CALL

    Dembele went on more than his fair share of weaving runs down the right flank – completing 11 dribbles, more than any other player has managed in a La Liga game this season.

    However, with Messi riding the bench, Barcelona would miss his ball-carrying ability through the middle – had it not been for Carles Alena.

    The fleet-footed midfielder regularly alternated with Dembele to get the Camp Nou faithful off their seats. His velvet touch, close control and jinking runs through the heart of the Leganes team helped fill the Messi-shaped void.

    Coming into this fixture, Barcelona boasted the highest possession in the league while Leganes stood at the other end of the spectrum. As such, the encounter was always going to resemble an attack versus defence training ground session.

    With the best defence in the bottom half of the table, Leganes were happy to sit off Barca and keep them at bay but were forced into challenges and dragged out of shape by the slaloming runs of Dembele and Alena.

    While the Frenchman dazzled and scored the opener, Alena’s showing will be particularly encouraging for all those associated with the club. The current Catalan contingent has been criticised for its lack of La Masia products, something the Blaugrana traditionally take pride in.

    The fact that youth has flourished at fierce rivals Real Madrid instead of late – despite their tumultuous season – has been a great source of frustration. Alena’s first La Liga start and performance will have been especially satisfying even if it was cut short to make way for Messi.

    MESSI MAKES THINGS HAPPEN

    To the credit of the Barca players who started the game, it must be said that they functioned well as a unit in Messi’s absence. Tactically, the system worked, the personnel performed relatively well and the team dominated while creating enough chances to put the game to bed but were pegged back by a familiar defensive lapse.

    The Argentine was summoned – though he seemed prepped for a run out anyway – and his influence goes beyond tactics, game plans and anything else the opposition are fooled into believing they can attempt to cope with.

    His arrival instantly brought about an increased tempo as he pulled the strings in the final third expertly. He received possession in the right areas, laid it off when he needed to, spread play effortlessly, went past a player or two at will – all the while yanking Leganes’ defence apart as they grew increasingly panicked.

    With a twist and turn, he impossibly manouevred a yard of space for himself 30 yards from goal and even with his sublime curling effort saved, Suarez was on hand to stab in the rebound. The visitors could hardly comprehend what transpired in the seven minutes since the five-time Ballon d’Or winner took to the pitch.

    Before they knew it, Messi then put the icing on the cake in stoppage time, exchanging passes with Jordi Alba before finishing emphatically.

    Any attempt from Leganes to wrap their heads around how the diminutive forward picked them off mercilessly would be futile. They must settle for knowing just this – Messi has the magic touch and he simply makes things happen.

    Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba

    LEGANES SCORES WITH LONE ATTACK

    When Braithwaite prodded home Leganes’ equaliser in the 57th minute, it was the away side’s first shot all game. Ultimately, it wound up being the only occasion on which they genuinely threatened Barca’s goal as well.

    That’s why it’s all the more concerning that the Catalans would concede from such an isolated incident against a team that has only notched up 18 goals this season – the second worst in the division behind Real Valladolid.

    It was all so simple as well. A lofted ball forward down the right channel exploited the space vacated by the advanced Alba before a whipped ball across the six-yard box evaded the home team’s defenders.

    Barcelona’s back-line has been suspect all season but questions must be asked of Thomas Vermaelen here who returned from injury to start the game and looked rusty, reacting late to the danger on this occasion.

    Even with the Belgian centre-back returned to the fold and the arrival of Jeison Murillo on loan, you wonder if Barcelona should go out on a limb and invest heavily in a reliable option this month in their quest for the league title.

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