Barcelona 7-0 Valencia: Five Talking Points

Rampant Barcelona dished out a soul-crushing defeat to Gary Neville and his troops as the defending King's cup champions demolished Valencia by 7-0 at the Camp Nou and all but book a place in the finals. Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi shared the goalscoring exploits as the former netted 4, whilst the Argentine bagged a hat-trick.The Catalans flew out of the gates right from the off and raced to a 3-0 lead by half-time. Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi was sent off for tripping Messi just moments before the break, and Neymar struck the resultant penalty against the crossbar.The second half started in the same way as the first, with the hosts dominating in every department and attacking at full throttle. Now with also a one-man advantage, the Blaugrana's job was made easier and pumped in 4 more goals by full time to round off a resounding night.Here are some of the things we learnt from the carnage at the Catalan capital.

#1 Barcelona back to their clinical best

Neymar, Messi and Suarez created danger almost at will.

After some sloppy performances in the last three games or so, Barcelona finally conjured their rip-roaring best and how. The Catalans were the better side right from the first minute till the last, and the scoreline is merely a reflection of it.

The hosts, today, did not start the game on the backfoot and instead, opted to go all out on the visitors, who rather looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car whenever Barca surged forward in numbers. The listless Valencia committed way too many mistakes and were soundly made to pay for it.

The stellar frontline of ‘MSN’ looked fearsome, belting the visiting defence black and blue with their treacherous link-up play and goalscoring exploits. Neymar may have missed a penalty and failed to get on target, but the brilliance of Suarez and Messi gave that a secondary status.

It was a night to remember for manager Luis Enrique and co. as they have one foot in the final and more importantly, got back to their clinical best.

#2 Suarez knows no stopping

Suarez took his tally to nine goals in five matches and 35 for the season.

Barcelona striker Luis Suarez is simply on fire as the Uruguayan bagged four goals on the night to take his tally to a whopping 35 this season in all competitions. The former Liverpool forward has been in a blistering form throughout the course of the season, netting goals relentlessly on all the three fronts and staking a claim at becoming the best striker in the world.

Suarez opened the scorings with only seven minutes on the clock, before doubling his tally just five minutes later. The Uruguayan sent a chill down the Valencia’s spine every time he waltzed into the box and bagged two more strikes in the second stanza.

Suarez linked up well with his attacking counterparts Messi and Neymar and was simply breathtaking on the night. The 29-year old narrowly missed out on a spot in the top 3 nominees for the Ballon d’Or for 2015, but stands a great chance of just winning it this year should he continue to play in the same vein.

#3 Neville\'s tactical tweaks busted

Gary Neville’s defence has been fragile.

Overseeing his side’s defeat to Sporting Gijon at home, manager Gary Neville thought the listless attack is an issue to contend with. While it surely is, no doubts, but their defence has been fragile and has often landed them in hot water.

So deploying a tout 4-5-1 formation, with Joao Cancelo and Guilherme Sequira playing wide in the midfield and ahead of Antonio Barragan and Jose Gaya respectively, the Englishman tired to keep things tight at the back, but this time, it was the individual errors that cost his side.

Players getting caught off guard, sloppy reactions, lethargic display and cutting a desolate figure, the Valencia defence hardly ever looked robust and allowed Barcelona to just inflict the damage.

#4 Pressure cranks up on Neville

Gary Neville is lacking ideas and that is reflecting well on the matches.

Gary Neville took over the helm of affairs at Valencia from the resigning Nuno Santos back in December, but is yet to taste a slice of win in the league. Los Che have continued to struggle even under their new manager, and that reflected well on the battering they received last night.

Neville did not have any prior coaching experience before taking the hot seat and the miserable run that his side have embarked on clearly accentuates that. The former Manchester United maestro is lacking ideas and hasn’t been able to halt the downward spiral.

With just 3 wins (all in Copa Del Rey) in the 12 games under his reigns, the heat was up on the embattled coach, and after with this shellacking by Barcelona, it has only cranked up a notch.

#5 Copa Del Rey beckons Barcelona

The second leg should be a mere formality next week.

With that win, Barcelona are most certain to be the finalists of the Spanish King’s Cup for the third year running and even retain the title they earned last year. The Catalans have no competition left in the tournament, and their form suggests they have their name on the trophy already.

With Real Madrid out of contention long ago, nearest rivals Atletico Madrid were undone by Celta Vigo in the quarters, and right now, no team can match the quality that Barca possess within their ranks.

Leading at the top of the table 4 points clear, the Blaugrana look set to reain the league crown and now, are on road for another domestic double. Copa Del Rey beckons Barcelona.