Barcelona 5-1 Real Valladolid: 4 Talking Points | LaLiga 2019-20

#1 Lionel Messi once more the difference-maker

Messi had a hand in four of Barcelona's five goals

As already indicated, Barcelona struggled in the early part of the campaign and it does not take special analytical skills to realize that their travails were down to the absence of one man.

Though the Catalans might have one of the most talented squads in world football, the importance of Lionel Messi cannot be understated and this is highlighted by the fact that Barcelona are less potent with their talisman out of the squad.

Having started the campaign on the sidelines due to injuries, Messi returned to full fitness in recent weeks and he has gone on to underline just how important he is to the club's cause since his reintegration back into the fold.

Against Real Valladolid, the Argentine international had a hand in four of Barcelona's five goals and would have had more but a combination of some poor finishing by both him and his teammates prevented that.

With the scoreline level 15 minutes from half-time, Lionel Messi took the game by the scruff of the neck and set Arturo Vidal up for the home side's second goal of the night with an exquisite lobbed pass.

The pass was right out of a textbook and while Vidal deserves praise for the technique deployed to keep his shot under control, this was one of those rare cases where the assist was more deserving of praise than the goal itself.

Five minutes later, the Rosario native got in on the act himself, effortlessly guiding a freekick into the top left corner which a despairing Jordi Masip could do nothing to stop. This was the 50th direct freekick scored in his career (44th for Barcelona) and at this rate, there can be no debate over who the best freekick taker is in the world.

The second-half began in the same manner and Lionel Messi set his young teammate Fati up with a pin-point pass, but the soon-to-be 17-year-old should have done better.

With the game approaching its dying embers, Lionel Messi still had plenty to offer and got his brace when he guided Ivan Rakitic's through ball into the bottom corner before setting Luis Suarez for his first goal on the night and Barcelona's fifth.

There was a chance for a hat-trick with virtually the last kick of the game but Messi uncharacteristically shot over and wide with the whole goal gaping.

When Lionel Messi is in his elements, there is virtually no team on the planet that can stop him and unfortunately for Real Valladolid, they came up against a prime Messi and were powerless to do anything but watch.