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#3 Confident Pedri continues upward trajectory with another dominant performance
In what has been a poor campaign for Barcelona, one source of joy for fans of the club has been the development of several young players.
The likes of Ronald Araujo, Sergino Dest, and Pedri have all grown in leaps and bounds in the opening weeks of the season but the latter has been the pick of the bunch.
When the 18-year-old was signed from Las Palmas, many expected him to be sent to the Barcelona B team for development but Ronald Koeman had other plans and thrust him straight into first team action.
So far, he has played in all 16 of the Blaugrana's La Liga fixtures, starting 10, and he was once again at the heart of everything Barcelona created against Huesca.
Pedri gave a performance that belied his age and was not afraid to demand the ball and charge forward in a bid to make things happen, although he was guilty of missing a gilt-edged chance midway through the first half.
His burgeoning partnership and understanding with Lionel Messi is also another source of positivity and the two men combined several times during the game.
In total, the former Las Palmas man played four key passes, the highest in the game, completed one dribble and made two tackles.
#2 Problems compound for newly-promoted Huesca
Huesca showed great determination to finish top of the Segunda Division and secure promotion after just one year out of the Spanish top-flight.
They have, however, found the going tough on their return to La Liga and currently sit bottom of the table after 17 games.
Their defeat to Barcelona means that they have accrued just 12 points from their opening 17 outings and are currently seven points away from safety.
This is not entirely reflective of how they have played and Huesca can consider themselves unlucky to be in their current position, as they have arguably not been outplayed in most of their games.
It was a similar case against Barcelona and despite struggling in the first half, the hosts grew into the game and ended the match as the more dominant side, although they once more finished empty-handed.
Speaking after the game, Huesca manager Michel admitted that his side were too timid in the first half and showed Barcelona too much respect but became more confident after the break.
Nevertheless, one win from 17 games is simply not good enough and Los Azulgranas have to start picking up more points if they are to avoid suffering an immediate drop to the Segunda Division.
#1 Motivated Messi celebrates landmark game for Barcelona
When the clock struck 12 am on January 1st, billlions around the world celebrated the ushering in of a new year but fans of Barcelona had reason to worry.
That date officially signified that their captain Lionel Messi was free to start discussing with other clubs and can ostensibly agree to a pre-contract agreement before the end of the season.
This is a scenario that no Barcelona supporter wants to envisage and the six-time Ballon d'Or winner showed why with an inspired performance against Huesca.
Having been given an extended Christmas break by Barcelona, the Argentina international returned to the starting lineup in bright spirits and was at the center of everything his club created.
In what was his 500th La Liga game and 750th appearance in all competitions, Messi was almost at his mercurial best as a meandering maverick, dropping deep in a bid to control proceedings.
Despite not getting on the scoresheet on his landmark game, the 33-year-old still made a mark by registering his 300th La Liga assist for Frenkie de Jong to open the scoring.
He would have also gotten on the scoresheet but for some fine goalkeeping by Alvaro Fernandez.
Messi now sits just five games behind Xavi Hernandez on the appearance list for Barcelona in La Liga and 17 adrift of the legendary Spanish midfielder in all competitions.
At this rate, it is just a matter of time before Messi becomes the record appearance maker for Barcelona and fans of the club would hope they can continue to witness his magic first-hand for years to come.
