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Catalan giants FC Barcelona played their last 5 games across all competitions without their talismanic forward, Lionel Messi, after the playmaker suffered an injury setback during a 4-2 victory over Sevilla FC in a crucial LaLiga fixture.
The Argentine had scored one and assisted the other of Barcelona's 2 goals early in the game to put the LaLiga champions in a confident position, but he was unlucky to fall on his arm, and suffered a fracture as a result, and hence was ruled out of action for 3 weeks.
However, it wasn't all negative for the Catalan giants who found a perfect way to respond to the absence of their star player - claiming 4 victories and 1 draw in their last 5 games without their talisman, which included an overwhelming 5-1 thrashing of arch-rivals Real Madrid at the Nou Camp, as well as a convincing 2-0 defeat of Inter Milan in a UEFA Champions League encounter at the same stadium.
Therefore we take a look at 4 positive effects the Argentine's injury absence had on La Blaugrana.
#4 Luis Suarez back to his obvious best
Knowing quite well that Barcelona needed another attacker to step up and take on the goal scoring responsibilities at the Nou Camp in Lionel Messi's absence, Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez emerged in frightening form - firing the Catalans in front of goal and sending an incredible message to all doubters of his abilities.
The former Liverpool forward was quite unstoppable when it really mattered, producing a couple of extraordinary performances for La Blaugrana, especially in the big games.
He delivered an inch-perfect long pass to Rafinha to open the scoring against Inter Milan in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League encounter, before following it up with a fantastic hat-trick to down Real Madrid in their recent clash.
After sitting out Barcelona's Copa Del Rey clash during the midweek as Ernesto Valverde opted to rest his key players, Suarez returned to action during last weekend's victory over Rayo Vallecano, and he was highly influential once again, bagging an incredible brace against the Spanish side to continue with his impressive record in front of goal.
#3 Barca played stronger as a team
Just like what is happening to Real Madrid following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure this summer, many expected Barcelona to suffer in Lionel Messi's absence after the playmaker was recently ruled out of action for weeks.
However, against the odds, La Blaugrana have recorded satisfying victories in 4 of the last 5 matches they have played ever since the Argentine has been sidelined.
The team responded perfectly, and that was aided by the fact that they got themselves together and worked as a unit to achieve incredible results, covering the absence of the playmaker with great determination and togetherness.
Luis Suarez was deadly in front of goal, Arthur Melo was unmatchable in the middle of the pitch, Sergio Busquets was at his obvious best, Jordi Alba was unstoppable on the left flank, Ter Stegen was unbeatable between the sticks, Ousmane Dembele and Arturo Vidal were super subs, while the likes of Clement Lenglet, Gerard Pique, Sergi Roberto, Nelson Semedo, Philippe Coutinho, and Ivan Rakitic all contributed immensely to ensure Messi's absence was not obviously felt.
#2 It revealed Barcelona's true identity
Everyone knows Lionel Messi has been Barcelona's best player for over a decade, helping to keep La Blaugrana at an incredible level for several years, as well as stepping up to cover their blushes whenever they find themselves in tight situations.
After the Argentine injured his arm during Barcelona's 4-2 victory against Sevilla in a recent LaLiga fixture, the Catalan giants were faced with the challenge of proving themselves, and they did that well, recording 4 convincing back-to-back victories across all competitions.
Taking El Clasico as a point of reference, two of the biggest clubs in Spain both lined up without key players, and they were both expected to prove themselves.
Barcelona emerged victorious, thrashing their arch-rivals, Real Madrid, 5-1 at the Nou Camp, and sending a fantastic message to the footballing world.
#1 Proof that there is life for Barcelona after Messi
If you recall how Barcelona often struggled in the absence of Lionel Messi, you could have easily concluded that the Catalans will struggle to remain at the top anytime the mercurial forward departs the Camp Nou or decides to call time on his career.
But just as La Blaugrana overcame the departures of influential players like Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, it is evident that the LaLiga champions will definitely find a way to remain at the top even in the post-Messi era.
Although the Argentine is in a different fold when we consider his impact at the Nou Camp during the past few years, what we saw from Barcelona during his absence in the past few matches suggests that there is life for the LaLiga champions after Messi.
With several young players performing at an incredible level within the Barca squad at the moment, the Catalans will maintain their incredible level of performance for years to come.
In the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Roberto, Arthur Melo, Clement Lenglet, Nelson Semedo, and Rafinha Alcantara, one would be safe to assume that Barcelona's future is secure.
