5 Takeaways from the Barcelona v Huesca Match

FC Barcelona thrashed SD Huesca in their La Liga encounter at the Nou Camp. The match was attended by 72,892 people and they got their money's worth as Barcelona came from behind to win the game 8-2. Huesca got the early lead after Juan Hernandez scored a sublime header from a Samuele Longo cross. But Barcelona's spirits were not broken as the Catalan side roared back into the game and claimed all 3 points a bit too convincingly.

Barca scored their first after Messi did what Messi does best and destroyed three Huesca defenders with one single turn getting himself a one on one with the keeper. He finished with a perfectly driven shot which riveted of the post. Jorge Pulido's own goal gave Barca the lead after the defender inadvertently knocked a Jordi Alba cross into his own net.

Luis Suarez increased Barca's lead to 3-1 with a simple finish off of a wonderful Jordi Alba cross. Huesca, however, pulled one back before halftime when Alex Gallar scored a tap-in after the ball ricocheted in Ter Stegen's box for a while.

Barca started the second half strong with Ousmane Dembele scoring right off the bat. Luis Suarez split the defence apart with a wonderful pass which Dembele smashed home. Rakitic made it 5 for the Catalans with an incredible volley from a tight angle. Messi made it 6 off of a brilliant Philipe Coutinho pass.

Jordi Alba who had been Huesca's biggest fear down the left side then got his goal when he buried Messi's through ball into the net. Luis Suarez netted the final goal from the penalty spot at the very end of the game to put Huesca out of their misery.

The win marked Ernesto Valverde's 31st League victory with Barcelona out of 41 games. But apart from the amazing statistics from the match, several players made a much bigger impact which might come to play in the near future. From International duties to uncertain futures with the club, here are 5 outtakes from the Barcelona-Huesca match

#5 Messi is still on top of his game

I just felt like I needed to get this out of the way. Messi is Messi. He did what he does best. After under-performing in the first two games, people doubted whether he would be able to keep up his amazing goal scoring form. He put all his doubters to bed as he netted twice and assisted two goals to guarantee Barcelona's victory and 3 points.

It is also to be noted that Messi was on a hat-trick when Barca got their Penalty kick at the very end of the game. Luis Suarez was given the duty of converting from the spot as Messi declined the kick. Luis Suarez who had quite a rough season last year started out slow this season as well.

The brace he scored today will certainly be a morale boost for the Uruguayan. Messi certainly did his duties as the captain for his team.

#4 In the long run, having VAR is much better than not having VAR

Luis Suarez's first goal was the centre of controversy during the time. A claim was made that the goal was from an offside position. In the replay, we can see how the Huesca defence plays an offside trap hoping to catch Jordi Alba too far down the pitch.

The flag, however, stays down and due to the trap, the centre-halves are too late to catch Luis Suarez who has yards of free space ahead of him.

After the goal was scored, the referee did consult the Video Assistant Referee on complaints from the Huesca players. Upon re-watching the footage it was clear that Jordi Alba was on-side as Luisinho was well behind him during the time of the pass and the goal was allowed.

This kind of situations in La Liga is very common and have bought accusations in that the referees are partial towards Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. But now, with VAR in place, such accusatory comments on Social Media platforms can finally be put to bed.

#3 Luis Suarez still has it in him

Luis Suarez has perhaps been the most criticized Barcelona player of the last year or so. Ever since Neymar's departure, the striker has been lacklustre and seemed to have lost his edge. But today's game showed that he still can be the lethal goal-scoring machine he was a couple years back.

Granted he only scored once from open play, he was much more proficient on the ball and seemed more composed and comfortable playing.

Suarez has had a pretty bad 2018 as of now. He has scored quite less than he usually does. His age might be a factor in his slump in form but he was still trusted as Barcelona's first choice striker.

Suarez netted 25 goals last season and 29 in the season before that. Although these numbers seem to be amazing for any top-level striker, it is to be noted that Suarez netted 40 goals in the 2015-16 season. He has 2 goals to his name in 3 games thus far and a return to form for him should be news every Barca fan appreciates.

No one is really expecting 40 goals from Suarez again but he is expected to break the 30 goal mark if he does return to his usual form.

#2 Given time, Ousmane Dembele might prove to be worth his price tag

Before the start of the season, Dembele was one the favourites to leave Barcelona. His transfer was criticized and his price tag was questioned as well. Rumours even began circulating that clubs like Arsenal and Liverpool were looking to sign Dembele on loan. How did Valverde respond to these claims? By giving Dembele a starting spot on the lineup.

Dembele has started in 3 consecutive games for Barca now and has scored 2 goals including the winner against Real Valladolid. Dembele has been used in the Left Wing position which is opposite to his natural Right Wing position.

But the player has made significant improvements from last season's campaign. Sharp and agile on the ball, Dembele has shown perfect chemistry with Suarez and Messi.

The former Dortmund midfielder has a lot of time on his hands. If he continues to shine like he did today people will no longer question his position in the Barcelona squad.

#1 Luis Enrique made a huge mistake with Jordi Alba

Another rumour that did rounds in the last week was the fact that Jordi Alba wasn't called up to the Spanish National Team due to personal issues with the manager.

Luis Enrique, the predecessor to Ernesto Valverde, is rumoured to have had issues with Jordi Alba in the past. Alba had been rotated quite frequently under Enrique. Whether it was Adriano or later Lucas Digne, everyone read the situation as Enrique was giving other players more game time.

With Enrique dropping Alba from the squad, the only two left backs selected are Marcos Alonso and Jose Gaya.

But Alba proved his former manager wrong as he had a spectacular game netting one goal and setting up 2. He was indirectly involved in as many as 5 goals for Barcelona. With such a performance there is no doubt that Alba should be the obvious first choice left back for the Spanish National Team.

Whatever might be the situation between Luis Enrique and Jordi Alba, we can hope it will be resolved before any damage is effected on Alba's career.

Edited by Shambhu Ajith