Barcelona picked up a comfortable 3-0 win over 4th placed Sevilla, in what turned out to be a routine win for the Camp Nou outfit. It was billed as the clash between 2nd and 4th but it was anything but that as first-half goals from Luis Suarez and a brace from Lionel Messi helped Luis Enrique’s side beat the Seville outfit and keep the pressure on league leaders Real Madrid, who are 2 points ahead of the Blaugrana with a game in hand.
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Here are the major talking points from the game:
#1 Messi-Suarez-Neymar
Messi-Suarez-Neymar have arguably been the best front 3 in world football ever since they were assembled almost 3 years ago. The trio didn’t seem to be at the peak of their powers for most of this season, at least not as a unit, with Lionel Messi outshining the other two on most occasions, despite Neymar impressing with glimpses of his genius and Suarez with his prolific goalscoring.
However, despite the goals and assists, there was something lacking in MSN’s game so far in this season but that old spark and the joy of the trio seemed to return against Sevilla as Luis Enrique’s side ran riot against a team that was in the running for the La Liga title until a few weeks ago. There was no stopping them, they indented Sevilla’s defence at will with their incisive passing and excellent awareness and the second goal was a prime example of the trio combining to disastrous effect.
Barcelona fans should be thankful that the trio have found form as we enter the make or break part of the season.
#2 Sevilla risk missing out on Champions League spots
Sevilla were in the reckoning for the La Liga title only a few weeks ago and were even deemed a dark horse in the title race. However, an unexpected slump in form has seen them go 5 league games without a win - wherein Jorge Sampaoli’s side have lost 2 and drawn the remaining 3 games.
This poor run of form has seen them drop out of the top 3 after months and now the Andalusian club are on the risk of missing out of Champions League football next year. Sevilla are currently 7 points ahead of 5th placed Valencia but considering their current form it is not hard to fathom Sampaoli’s side letting the lead slip away in just a couple of fixtures. The Argentine manager needs to sort out the rut that his team currently finds themselves in and ensure that they qualify for the elite competition next season.
#3 Barcelona are thriving with 3 at the back
Luis Enrique deployed 3 defenders at the back in the crucial UEFA Champions League round of 16 clash against PSG, with his side recording one of the greatest comebacks of all-time in the added time of that game. It did not necessarily happen due to the formation deployed by the Barcelona manager as much as it was propelled by the relentless desire of the Barcelona players and an unprecedented catapulting by PSG.
However, in the absence of a recognised world-class right-back, Enrique has managed to come up with a formation that partially negates the use of full-backs as is visible by the dropping of Jordi Alba to the bench. The formation enables Barcelona to play without full-backs and although it is not one without flaws, it has worked well so far for the Camp Nou outfit.
For all the flak that Enrique has received for not being a tactician, this small change might have a season-altering effect on the Catalan giants.
#4 Is Lionel Messi back to his best?
A lot is said and written about Lionel Messi, every time he does something on the football pitch or fails to do so. However, there had been a sense of decline about the Argentine ever since the harrowing 4-0 defeat against PSG in the first leg of Barcelona’s round of 16 UEFA Champions League clash against them.
Even when Barcelona completed the historic comeback against the French champions at Camp Nou, it was Neymar who stole the show and talks about the Brazilian being the true heir to Lionel Messi’s throne started emanating from cracks. When Barcelona then succumbed to a 2-1 loss to Deportivo la Coruna it was further emphasised on that may be, slowly but surely the 29-year-old’s powers were waning. There were even rumours that he is not happy with life at Camp Nou.
A tragic international break followed, where Messi was suspended for 4 games by FIFA for allegedly abusing an assistant referee – a claim refuted by the Argentine, having scored the winner in La Albiceleste’s 1-0 win over Chile.
However, against Sevilla, the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner put rest to any of the aforementioned questions. The smile was back on his face, that drop of the shoulder was put to good use and the ruthlessness had returned. He scored two good goals and could have had a hat-trick if not for the crossbar but the signs are positive for the Barcelona faithful ahead of the all important El Clasico and they just need to hope that Messi remains as happy and as effervescent as he was against Sevilla.
#5 Luis Suarez has had an average season but he is slowly getting back to peak form
I may be deemed a fool for suggesting that Luis Suarez has had a poor season so far, with the Uruguayan having scored 24 goals in the league alone while assisting another 11. However, given by the former Liverpool man’s lofty standards he has been a shadow of the striker who pipped Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Pichichi last season.
It looked to be early signs of decline, however, in recent weeks, the 30-year-old looks to have found his mojo back and is scoring goals for fun and outrageous ones at that. His overhead kick against Sevilla was a thing of beauty and although he scored only once against Granada, if not for the genius of Guillermo Ochoa he could have had a hat-trick.
To put things bluntly, Suarez hasn’t been at the same level as Messi and Neymar for most of the season so far but now when all is left to play for, he is slowly getting back to his best and the Uruguayan may well prove to be the difference between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the last few weeks.
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