El Clasico: 5 things we learnt from Barcelona's 5-1 win over Real Madrid

#3 Barca looks stellar - sans Messi

Messi is an all-time great, and not to have him in "the Classic" is pretty telling for Barca. His presence alone brings confidence, and fear in any opposition.

However, Suarez - who himself is naturally no goal-scoring slouch - scored a hat-trick, and proved somewhat that they can cope without Messi.

And whilst Messi is one of the best ever footballers - without question - it's disrespectful to world-class talents like Suarez, Coutinho, and Dembele, to state that they cannot handle the absence of Messi. Suarez alone has scored many goals in both England and Spain, which stand as the two best leagues in the world, so he alone can cover the slack.

If anything, this is a boon, considering they would need him for the "business end" of the season. But a serious catastrophe, they will finish at the top of their Champions League group. And the league may be between them and Atletico Madrid this season, which due to their superior quality may be better off in.