Hot Streak: Masterful Messi has Barcelona breathing down Real Madrid's neck
In a week that saw Cristiano Ronaldo crowned both club world champion and Ballon d’Or winner, it was Lionel Messi who was left to make the headlines in La Liga almost single-handedly.
Real Madrid’s fixture against Valencia was postponed, owing to their merry and successful jaunt to Japan, with Barcelona taking the chance to temporarily cut Los Blancos’ lead at the summit of the table to three points. Espanyol arrived at Camp Nou high on confidence, but their spirits were promptly decimated in a 4-1 defeat.
Over the last month, Barcelona’s performances had become something to question, rather than fear, but Zinedine Zidane will have watched the Catalan derby highlights with a furrowed brow. It was a good collective showing from the Blaugrana, something that Real Madrid can contend with and prepare to overcome and better in the next Clasico, but the extraterrestrial magnificence of Messi is not something that can be pro-actively stamped out with no remaining trace.
Quique Sanchez Flores has devoted his first few months in charge of Espanyol to organisation. His defence and midfield is split into two hardworking and spatially aware banks of four, but such a set-up provided few problems for Messi. While as a collective, the visitors could coax Barcelona into keeping possession in less threatening areas of the field, they were unable to contend with the likes of Andres Iniesta, Neymar and Messi breaking their lines with the ball at their feet.
The opening goal was not of the latter’s making, as a counter-attack sparked by a Javier Mascherano tackle only involved Iniesta and Luis Suarez on their direct route to goal. Otherwise, Messi was instrumental, and heads into the New Year firing on all cylinders.
Following some equally excellent footwork from Iniesta around 30 yards from goal, the ball was fizzed into Messi’s path. Javi Fuego was the immediate victim of a deft nutmeg by the diminutive number 10, before both Diego Reyes and Jose Jurado were tempted to descend upon him on the edge of the box. He escaped from the duo easily, before cutting onto his right foot momentarily to wriggle out of David Lopez’s clutches.
In the space of a couple of seconds, Espanyol’s rear-guard action had been unlocked. Hours on the training ground undone by a fleeting moment of brilliance. Messi unleashed a low drive that stung the palms of substitute goalkeeper Roberto, allowing for Luis Suarez to steal in and slot home his second goal of the night on the rebound. Luis Enrique punched the air with a grin as the Uruguayan striker took top spot in the Pichichi standings, albeit temporarily.
While many players may have been happy with one moment of magic, especially with Luis Suarez’s brace carrying Barcelona to a comfortable 2-0 lead on the night, Messi was involved again almost immediately from the restart. Neymar was the man to set the Argentina international on his way on this occasion, but the outcome was no different.
A sharp change of pace on the periphery of the penalty area saw Messi dart through a closing gap between Diego Reyes and Fuego, before Jurado and David Lopez were again left looking alarmingly over their shoulders as the Barça forward darted into the penalty area. It all happened at such a speed that even Messi was forced to stagger forward off-balance, but supporting left-back Jordi Alba was sure-footed enough to take over from his team-mate and thump a low finish across goal and into the bottom corner.
Between the 67th and 69th minute of the contest, Messi had breathed his influence into the game, damaging the scoreline irreparably for the visitors. Even the best-laid plans can be picked apart, leaving Quique Sanchez Flores bemoaning the individual side of the game which cannot be accounted for by planning and work in training.
In two minutes, Messi chipped in with two contributions of excellence, before capping his performance with a stoppage-time finish through Roberto’s open legs, which leaves him on a WhoScored rating of 8.08, the second highest in Europe's top five leagues this season. Another double-salvo such as this could prove season-defining later down the line, especially in El Clasico, and this harsh reality leaves Real Madrid’s lead at the top of La Liga looking advantageous yet fragile.
Iniesta’s return to action in December has been a breath of fresh air, as the veteran has turned in two WhoScored performance ratings above an 8.00, with his calmness on the ball and ability to dictate the tempo of the attack with piercing passes forward highlighting him as another key cog in the Barcelona machine. Denis Suarez offered a little more purpose and intent in the middle of midfield at the weekend, as opposed to the ponderous Andre Gomes, but Sunday was very much about one man.
Over the course of the campaign, Messi’s considerable talents should be enough to win Barcelona’s some points on his own. The win at Espanyol was a symphony conducted by the number 10, and he is bound to play centre stage in many more tour dates between now and the end of the campaign.
Questions can be raised about Luis Enrique’s substitutions, and a possible dearth of options on the bench to profoundly change games that aren’t going in Barcelona’s favour. Fortunately, their long-term shortcomings can be papered over by the most elegant of decorators.
