La Liga 18-19: Real Betis 1-4 Barcelona - 5 Talking Points

Barcelona claimed a 4-1 win at Real Betis to extend their lead at the top of the La Liga table to 10 points.

Real Betis have caused many teams problems this season, and they threatened initially. Then Lionel Messi happened. He blasted in an incredulous free-kick to give his side the lead early on, and Barca did not look back after that. Messi scored his second just before half-time after a sublime pass from Luis Suarez.

Suarez got his goal, scoring in the second half after a mazy solo run. Messi had the last laugh though, as he completed his hat-trick with a sumptuous chip over Pau Lopez. Even the Betis fans were applauding the Argentine after his performance, such was the class he exuded. Loren Moron scored in between to make it 3-1, but that goal was nothing more than a consolation.

Barcelona are now comfortably ahead in the La Liga table, and they lead Atletico Madrid by 10 points. Betis' hopes of European qualification took a hit, as they stay in eighth place after the loss.

Luis Suarez suffered an injury in the dying seconds, which will certainly worry the Barcelona fans. Aside from that minor blip, it was a comfortable victory for the Catalan side. Here are the major talking points from the game.

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#5 Changed formation does the job for Valverde

Vidal made an impact in midfield

Barcelona played with a 4-4-2 system often last season, and Ernesto Valverde reverted to that formation today. Ousmane Dembele is injured, but Philippe Coutinho was available to play in an attacking trio. Valverde opted to bench him and included Arturo Vidal into the lineup.

The extra man in midfield allowed Barca to absorb the Betis pressure, as they had more of the possession in the game. Messi and Suarez were enough up front, and it turned out to be an easy victory for the Catalans in the end.

Coutinho has not really impressed recently, and that must have been one of the major reasons for the changed system. Dembele is expected to be out for a few weeks, which could prompt Valverde to persist with this system in the coming weeks.

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#4 Who are you, Leo?

Speechless, absolutely speechless

Lionel Messi is something else. The Argentine scored thrice, and further increased his numbers for the season. Messi has scored 27 goals in the league this season, which is nine more than Luis Suarez, who is in the second spot. He leads the assists charts as well, with 12 racked up so far.

He has been involved in 52 goals so far this season in all competitions, which is by far the most in the major European leagues. Messi leads in dribbles and chances created as well, and he has been the major factor behind Barcelona's treble hopes this season.

"One of the best things football has given me, how could it be that I have 20 photos with Messi and I do not have the ball in any of them," said Betis midfielder Andres Guardado before the game. Predictably, a similar tale unfolded for Guardado and Betis yet again. We feel for you, Andres.

#3 All is not well for Setien and Betis

Setien is not in the best of places right now

Quique Setien has brought exciting football at Real Betis, and the fans were totally behind him in the early parts of the season. But his side have lacked the maturity at times, and they have slipped to eighth place in the table as a result.

They stuck to his philosophy against Barca and dominated possession. Despite this, the defeat was a heavy one, and some whistles were heard in the Benito Villamarin Stadium in the latter stages of the game. 2019 has not been kind to Betis, and their form this year has been erratic, to say the least.

Setien's philosophy focuses on free-flowing attacking football, but he needs to compromise at times to get the victory. The likes of Getafe are playing with the opposite ideology, but they are above Betis in the table. Setien needs to bring about a turnaround, otherwise the pressure on him will mount even further.

#2 Barcelona destroy Betis on the counter

Suarez and Messi caused havoc

Ernesto Valverde's side is used to having more of the ball, as their opponents sit back and try to get them on the counter. The roles were reversed against Betis, as Barcelona played on the counter-attack, and to great effect.

Betis had 57% possession in the game, and Barcelona were content to let them have it. They did not press much, and maintained their defensive shape with the four in midfield. Betis completed more passes in the game and Barcelona did more of the defending, leading the way in blocks and clearances. Despite this, Barcelona were clearly the superior attacking force.

They scored more goals, created more chances, and carved open the Betis defense repeatedly. Barca had nine shots on target, compared to the three from their opponents. Messi and Suarez especially were deadly, and they could have scored a lot more on the night.

#1 Barcelona capitalise on Atletico's blip

Valverde is likely to retain the La Liga

Atletico Madrid are in second place in the table, and they were seven points behind Barcelona before this weekend. However, Diego Simeone's side slipped up as they lost 2-0 to Atheltic Bilbao. They conceded two late goals at the San Mames to give Barcelona a golden opportunity to extend their lead.

Barca grabbed that opportunity with both hands and the gap between the two sides is into double figures now. Third-placed Real Madrid are 12 points adrift, and Barcelona have a clear path to the La Liga crown. They still have to play Atletico, and the two will face off in April. But the current cushion is a healthy one, which means that Ernesto Valverde can afford to drop some points along the way.

Their comfortable situation in the league will come handy in the Champions League, as key players can be rested. For the time being, all signs point towards Barcelona retaining the league title.