Barcelona didn’t seem to feel the absence of Lionel Messi as Luis Suarez, Rafinha, Neymar and Arda Turan were all on target to help the reigning champions cruised to a thumping 5-0 win over 10-men Sporting Gijon.
The visitors spent the first half largely on the backfoot with a spirited Sporting side attacking at will, yet raced to a 2-0 lead at the break with goals from Suarez and Rafinha in quick succession.
The second half of the game was even for large spells, but a late onslaught from Neymar and Turan added further gloss to the scoreline as the Catalans had it all plain-sailing in the first of the many games without Lionel Messi. Here are the major talking points from the game.
#1 Suarez and Neymar step up once again
As Lionel Messi began his three-week lay-off with a groin strain, both his attacking counterparts stepped up to the plate in his absence and engineered Barcelona to a comprehensive victory.
Just as they did during Messi’s 2-month absence at the same time last year, the likes of Suarez and Neymar are once again shouldering the extra responsibility in the attack. The Uruguayan took the initiative for the visitors slightly before the half-hour mark, whereas Neymar weighed with a late double.
The ‘MSN’ have established themselves as the most destructive trio in the world, but sans their 5-time Ballon d’Or winner, Suarez and Neymar rose to the occasion to ensure their title charge wasn’t dealt with another blow.
#2 Rafinha shows his versatility
In last week’s 5-1 drubbing of Leganes, Rafinha started as a right wing-back, but was slotted alongside Suarez and Neymar in the attack against Gijon tonight and on both occasions, didn’t fail to impress.
The Brazilian was hailed for his versatility by head coach Luis Enrique earlier in the week having also played in the central midfield before, but Rafinha proved his keen eye for goal when he headed home a close range after receiving a perfect cross from Sergi Roberto, making it two goals in the last three outings.
Rafinha has grown seamlessly in stature at Barcelona under the stewardship of Luis Enrique, and almost two months into the new season, his stock continues to rise.
#3 Ter Stegen hasn’t yet found his feet in La Liga somehow
The departure of Claudio Bravo to Manchester City has paved the way for Marc-Andre Ter-Stegen to take up the goalkeeping mantle for Barcelona in the league, and even after presiding under the bar in four games into the campaign, hasn’t quite dovetailed to the domestic demands.
The Germany international continues to be shaky with the ball as we saw today when a silly blunder cost him a yellow card and almost Barcelona in trouble. Although his supreme skill set and dexterity makes him one of the best in the business, his affinity to take risks has given the jitters to his manager and his side.
#4 Enrique plays his cards safe
Keeping the upcoming Champions League game to Borussia Monchengladbach in mind, Luis Enrique rested some first team regulars from the clash to avoid fatigue and his decisions paid off handsomely.
With Jordi Alba, Javier Mascherano, Andres Iniesta and Ivan Rakitic all benched, the Asturian coach pinned his faith in some of the youngsters whilst retaining Suarez and Neymar in the attack.
Although the Catalans took some time to get into the groove, Enrique’s changes came to fruition eventually as Sporting Gijon couldn’t match the quality of the side.
#5 Sporting miss Sanabria
Sporting Gijon made a dream start to the campaign when they accrued 7 points from the opening three games, but three defeats in the last one week has knocked the stuffing out of them. Three of their opening 6 games have ended without finding the back of the net, raising concerns in the absence of Antonio Sanabria.
The Paraguayan international was one of the start performers in his loan spell last season in helping Gijon remain in the top flight, but without him, the Rojiblancos have misfired. They lack the flair in the attack they carried last term, and Gijon do not have a player in that department who can fill in his shoes.
