LaLiga 2019-2020: Barcelona 4-1 Celta Vigo: 4 talking points as the Blaugrana cruise to victory

Barcelona got back to winning ways at Camp Nou with an emphatic 4-1 win over Celta Vigo to consolidate their position atop the league.

With Real Madrid having dispatched Eibar 4-0 earlier in the day, anything other than a victory would have been disappointing for the Blaugrana especially in light of their goalless draw with Slavia Prague in midweek.

The visitors came into the game with a new man on the bench, with former Barcelona midfielder Oscar Garcia appointed to replace Fran Escriba.

Garcia expectedly made some changes to a side who have been struggling all through the season, with Pione Sisto making a first start of the campaign, while he encouraged his side to press high up from the start.

This system paid dividends, as Celta put Barcelona on the backfoot in the early part of the game, with the Catalans struggling to exert their usual influence.

However, their early work came undone when Ghanaian international Joseph Aidoo committed a needless handball in the area, leaving Guillermo Fernandez with no choice but to point to the spot.

Lionel Messi stepped up and dispatched the resultant penalty, but Lucas Olaza levelled matters with a well-taken freekick after Lionel Messi had been booked for bringing down Iago Aspas in the 40th minute.

The decision seemed a bit harsh, as replays showed Messi had won the ball cleanly, but the Argentine international redeemed his image with a pin-point freekick just before the half-time break.

Almost straight from the restart, Messi got his hat-trick and at that point, there was no doubt that it was job done for the Catalans.

Sergio Busquets put the gloss on the scoreline late in the second half with a cleanly struck shot from the edge of the box. The goal was his first in over two years and helped ease some pressure off Ernesto Valverde.

Here, we shall be highlighting four talking points from the routine win for Barcelona.

#1 The Lionel Messi show

This season started in less than ideal circumstances for Lionel Messi, with a calf injury sidelining him and limiting his contributions.

However, since his return, he has been nothing short of exceptional and once again, he proved his mettle with a five-star performance against Celta.

He opened the scoring 23 minutes into the game, sending Blanco the wrong way from the spot and he got his brace with a well-taken freekick right on the stroke of half-time.

In what was almost a Deja Vu moment, the Rosario native completed his hat-trick in almost similar circumstances with another freekick to put Barcelona 3-1 up.

The pair of freekicks were the 53rd of his career and the almost unerring accuracy of his freekicks is almost unbelievable.

So far this season, he has scored four freekicks and has scored more freekicks than every club in Europe's top five leagues over the last one year.

Messi's deadliness from setpieces in and around the edge of the area means that opposition players cannot afford to keep committing fouls on Barcelona players in this area, but Barcelona's gameplan seems to revolve around winning freekicks on the edge of the box.

The hat-trick brought Lionel Messi to eight goals from just seven matches and anyone who had entertained thoughts of there being a new Pichichi winner would do well to have a rethink, as La Pulga Atomica is right back in the thick of things.

#2 Barcelona's invincibility at Camp Nou goes on

Barcelona have not lost at Camp Nou in over a year

While Barcelona might have shown signs of struggles this season, they have been nothing short of brilliant whenever they lineup on home turf.

Heading into this fixture, Barcelona had played five league matches and won all five, scoring 21 goals and conceding six.

The Blaugrana were on a brilliant run of form at home which has seen them go 29 matches without defeat at Camp Nou in all competitions, with their last home loss coming in the 4-3 reversal to Real Betis in November 2018.

This showed the scale of the job at hand for Celta and from the moment Messi put the hosts ahead, there was never any doubt over who would end the day with all three points.

By contrast, they have been atrocious on their travels, with all three of their defeats this term coming in away fixtures, while they also dropped points in the 2-2 draw with Osasuna at the El Sadar.

Barcelona are almost invincible at home and the win against Celta Vigo means they have gone 30 games in all competitions without defeat, but if they are to successfully retain their league title, Valverde must find a way to solve his side's away day blues.

#3 Ansu Fati and Antoine Griezmann fail to get in on the action

Griezmann did not make a mark on the game

After his whirlwind introduction to the Barcelona first team, things have slowed down a bit in the career trajectory of Ansu Fati, which is only normal considering that he just turned 17 earlier in the month.

The La Masia prodigy was started in a front three alongside Messi and Griezmann against Celta Vigo but failed to make much of an impact in the first half and it came as no surprise when he was hauled off at the break to be replaced by Ousmane Dembele.

The Frenchman's introduction helped inject some vibe and pace into what was a flaccid first-half attacking display and while he might have his detractors, it cannot be argued that Dembele made difference in the game against Celta Vigo.

By contrast, his compatriot Antoine Griezmann struggled to offer much to Barcelona's attacking play.

Valverde came to his defence in his pre-match notes that he needs time to adapt to Barcelona's play and there were moments in the first half when he looked lost and unsure of his role in the side.

Things improved marginally for him in the second half, but he failed to convert a good chance after being played in by Lionel Messi midway through the second half.

Griezmann was substituted for Luis Suarez soon after and the forlorn look on his face said everything you need to know about his performance.

While there might still be time on Ansu Fati's side, with his young age lessening the burden of expectation, things are very much different for Griezmann and he would hope to use the international break to get back into his groove and prove his worth to Barcelona.

#4 Even in victory, Barcelona were still not entirely convincing

Valverde's men were not entirely convincing

A glance at the 4-1 scoreline would suggest that Barcelona had things easy in what was a straightforward victory, but nothing could be further from the truth.

There was absolutely no sign of attacking impetus from the hosts for the first 20 minutes of the game and they undeservedly went ahead from the spot midway through the first half.

Barcelona struggled to impose their game-plan on Celta Vigo, with the visitors frustrating the Catalans and when they levelled matters in the 42nd minute, it was no less than they deserved.

Messi's second freekick to put Barcelona 3-1 up seemed to suck the wind out of Celta's lungs and from then on, it became one-way traffic, with the slick play and one-touch passing we have become accustomed to on full show for the Blaugrana.

Of Barcelona's four goals, three came from set-pieces and there was no rhythmic passage of passing play until well into the second half.

Unexpectedly, Messi was once again the saviour and while the Argentine might be a difference-maker, an over-reliance on him could prove counterproductive.

The victory would ease some pressure off Valverde, but judging by their performance on the night, Barcelona are just another bad result away from sparking crisis talk and the 55-year-old would do well to iron things out and get his side working.

Edited by Zaid Khan