Barcelona 4 -1 Levante: Five talking points

It was just a normal evening at the Camp Nou when Barcelona beat visitors Levante 4-1 in their fourth La Liga game of the season. With this victory, Barcelona go back to the top of the table having won all the four games they have played.Coming into this game after drawing 1-1 at Rome in their midweek Champions League group stage clash, Barcelona had no problem whatsoever dealing with a struggling Levante side coming into the game with a measly two points in three games.After a rather unimpressive scoreless first half, the second half was quite intensive. The Blaugranas immediately got to business with Bartra scoring just four minutes into the second half. Neymar doubled the lead just five minutes later and Messi tucked in a third from the spot in the interval of another few minutes.Another five minutes played and Levante pulled one back, thanks to a Ter Stegen mistake. Then Messi missed a penalty but made amends when he finished the game with one of his typical beautiful solo goals.Here are the major talking points from the game.

#1 Barcelona put on a strong display despite missing regulars

Dani Alves returned from injury to feature at right back while Munir got a rare start

This has been one tough month for the injury-plagued Barcelona squad. This large amount of injuries combined with Pique’s suspension, the transfer ban and a very tight schedule, fielding a completely fit squad was always going to be a problem for Luis Enrique.

But as we know him as the great tactician he is, he dealt with the situation pretty comfortably. We finally saw Barcelona drifting away from their traditional 4-3-3 formation and opting for a hybrid 4-2-3-1. Dani Alves made a comeback from injury to replace Sergi Roberto at the right back position while Suarez, Iniesta and Alba were rested.

This meant the first ever Liga start for Sandro and the first start for Munir since January. Bartra also got the start he deserved and certainly didn’t disappoint. The highlight though was the 20-year old Gerard Gumbau making his debut for the senior team, who played a decent enough game. Are we going to see more of him in the future?

#2 Ter Stegen\'s mistakes may cost Barcelona in the big games

Ter Stegen’s mistake led to Levante’s goal

Replacing the injured Claudio Bravo in the La Liga squad, one would seem to think that things are going in Ter Stegen’s way. But this has not been the case so far. This has turned into one horrible start to the season for the young german which he would like to forget at all possible costs.

After the howler against Athletic Club Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup and the screamer he conceded against Roma last week, he made yet another grave mistake when he came out of his line to punch the ball during a corner kick. He missed the ball and was punished by Victor Casadesus, who did not waste any time in putting the ball in the net.

While he is making this mistakes, we still must not be too quick to rule him out as he was pretty good for the rest of the game. We also must not forget that he was one of the best goalkeepers in Europe last season and these mistakes are only his inexperience showing. All Barcelona fans can do is to hope that he gains some confidence and stops making these errors.

#3 Messi\'s penalty woes continue

Missing penalties is becoming a regular occurrence for Messi

Gone are the days when a penalty to Barcelona meant a sure goal. Messi and his frequent tendency to miss penalties has now been a hot topic for the last one year. Missing a few has probably shattered his confidence and has led to failure in scoring more of them.

So when Messi stepped up to take the spot-kick won by Neymar in the 60th minute, the fans weren’t so sure. While he did score the penalty, the curse was far from over as he missed another one just 15 minutes later. The fans weren’t disappointed though and when he made amends later by scoring a beautiful solo goal in traditional Messi style, they were more than happy.

Isn’t it ironical that the best player in the world who can score a goal by beating the whole opposition defense fails to tuck in mere penalties?

#4 Bartra proves his critics wrong

Bartra made some important interceptions and did an amazing job in replacing Pique

Bartra might never have gotten this start if Pique and Vermaelen were available for selection. The Spaniard has been one of those defenders who had been making critical mistakes in the past few games he had played, making him the squad’s last choice centre-back.

When he did get the chance last night, he certainly did not disappoint. Actually, he played a great game which was well worthy of a Man of the Match award. He was solid at the back making important interceptions and tackles.

Not only was he solid at the back, but he was also superb in the midfield and attack. He was the one who scored Barcelona’s opening goal with brilliant ball control and an amazing finish. He was also the one who provided the assist for Messi’s last goal.

Given last night’s performance, Luis Enrique certainly needs to give more chances to this youngster.

#5 Team shows solidarity for Rafinha

Neymar holds up Rafinha’s jersey who was injured during the Champions League clash against Roma

Barcelona’s injury problems got worse when Rafinha became the latest victim during the mid-week Champions League clash against Roma. Having been ruled out for almost the whole season, this injury is a reminder of a similar one incurred by his brother Thiago who plays for Bayern Munich.

This injury means that the team has been left with a severely weakened midfield as Xavi left last season and Rafinha had become an important part of the squad.

During the game, the team showed solidarity for Rafinha and wished him a speedy recovery. Marc Bartra and Neymar dedicated their goals to Rafinha and both of them went to the sidelines after scoring and flashed Rafinha’s jersey to the Camp Nou crowd.

It is to be seen how Barcelona cope up without the young Brazilian until January when they will finally be able to register Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal, and maybe sign some new players.