La Liga 2016/17: Deportivo Alaves 0-6 FC Barcelona, 5 Talking Points

Messi and Suarez made it on the score sheet against Alaves

#3 Mauricio Pellegrino and Deportivo Alaves can achieve great things

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 08: Goalkeeper Adrian Ortola (C) of Deportivo Alaves celebrates their victory with team mates after the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg match between Deportivo Alaves and RC Celta de Vigo at Estadio de Mendizorroza on February 8, 2017 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images) — The players of Alaves celebrate after reaching the finals of the Copa Del Rey

Sitting 12^th on the La Liga table are the little club from the Basque Country region of Spain. They first made news this season after shocking Barcelona with a 2-1 victory at the Camp Nou and have been on a fairytale run ever since.

Alaves have been known for their fantastic defensive stats this season but something that defines beyond anything is their gutsy nature that comes from their brave young Argentinian coach Mauricio Pellegrino. Even today, despite going down 2-0, Pellegrino switched things to a 3-man defence looking for a goal. The tactic almost worked as Alaves dominated Barcelona for the first ten minutes of the second half.

However, a slight mistake led to Messi’s goal and the floodgates opened from that moment.

Edited by Staff Editor