Barcelona delivered a kind of performance against Osasuna that’ll send a warning to Real Madrid; the La Liga title race is far from over despite their slender lead. The Catalans emerged victorious with a scoreline of 7-1 at Camp Nou as the team ranked 20th in the league were sadly dismantled by a slightly changed Barcelona line-up.
Luis Enrique decided to give a run-in to the likes of Arda Turan, Carles Alena and Lucas Digne last night in a bid to rest some of his stars after a gruelling Clásico. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 12th minute before Andre Gomes doubled Barcelona's lead going into half-time.
The lead was halved after the break as Roberto Torres scored a stunning free kick for Osasuna but Gomes soon made it 3-1. Lionel Messi and Paco Alcacer scored in quick succession to make it 5-1 before Javier Mascherano (yes, you read that right) scored from the spot. Alcacer scored his second and the seventh for his side as Osasuna were taken apart by Luis Enrique's men.
On that note, here are the five talking points from Barcelona's 7-1 thumping win over Osasuna:
#1 A homecoming for Leo
After helping beat Real Madrid on the weekend with his superlative feats, the king of Barcelona returned to Camp Nou with grandeur. Messi scored a last-minute winner in the Clásico on Sunday, which also happened to be his 500th goal for the club.
As he made his way out of the tunnel, a huge banner was waiting for him at the Camp Nou. In the 10th minute of the game, Barcelona fans took their shirts off in a bid to replicate Messi's celebration against Real Madrid.
After just two minutes, Messi delivered a knockout punch to Osasuna as he scored one hell of a goal by chipping over the goalkeeper to open the floodgates for the Catalans.
He pressed brilliantly which resulted in him getting the first goal for his side. Messi delivered in both the games after the debacle against Juventus, proving to the world he is still the best in the business.
#2 A deceptive performance by Andre Gomes
A lot was expected from the Portuguese midfielder when he first arrived in Spain. He took some time to acclimatise to the demands of the Spanish league which was understandable but Gomes still does not look confident in a Barcelona shirt.
Anyone who has watched the full game last night can say effectively that despite scoring two goals against Osasuna, he struggled to pass and get into good positions for the majority of the game.
Gomes took two well-taken goals which were a good sight for the potential suitors as Barcelona could offload him in the summer. Though his goals showed his ability to slot the ball home effortlessly, the other part of his game - where he gave away the ball easily and misplaced many passes - reflected that he does not fit the levels that Barcelona require from a midfielder.
He simply lacks confidence at the moment despite chipping in with important goals this season.
#3 Osasuna relegated to the second division
Despite losing 7-1 against FC Barcelona, Osasuna's fate depended on Leganes' result against Las Palmas. A Leganes victory would have meant curtains for Osasuna and that’s exactly what transpired with Asier Garitano’s side winning 3-0 against their opponents.
Osasuna have accumulated just 18 points till now and had a season to forget as they looked doomed since the turn of the year.
Against Barcelona, they looked nervous in the first half but improved in the second and scored a well-taken goal through Torres. They had a spell of about 10 minutes in the second half where they looked threatening but soon the spark in their play fizzled out once Andre Gomes scored for the Catalans.
This has been the case for the Navarra outfit for the entire season as barring some brilliant goals from Sergio Leon, Osasuna have not done anything worth mentioning in the La Liga.
#4 Paco Alcacer is a man on a mission
When Barcelona decided to spend €30 million on a backup striker in Paco Alcacer, questions were raised about his signature. All these doubts came true as Alcacer failed miserably at the beginning of the season and was then left on the sidelines for a considerable time.
To the credit, he never lost hope and gave it all in his every cameo but he still he could not find the back of the net.
All that has changed since Neymar's three-match ban and how. Alcacer has performed exceedingly well in the Brazilian's absence and was twice on target against Osasuna.
Luis Suarez was given a rest as Alcacer started as the sole striker and sealed the game with two composed strikes. He played well in the Clásico as well is slowly proving his worth to this team. Barcelona have found an able squad player in the form of Alcacer who can now perform whenever the team needs him.
#5 Javier Mascherano finally breaks his duck
One player who doesn’t score too many goals in that Barcelona side is Javier Mascherano. The Argentine had previously scored for Liverpool in 2010 and took 319 games to get on the scoresheet for Barcelona.
He must have partied hard after the final whistle considering the time he’s taken to find the back of the net. It took years of failed attempts by the centre-back to finally score a goal as despite winning every possible trophy with the Catalans, all he lacked was a goal.
Funnily, this is Mascherano's fourth goal in club colours while he has scored five with Argentina. During the period Mascherano was goalless for Barcelona, Leo Messi scored an astounding 375.
Mascherano's goal also turned out to be a historic strike for his side as it was Barcelona's 100th goal of the season and also the 500th under Luis Enrique. But the decision to let him take the penalty raised one important question - could it be the end of the Argentine's career at Camp Nou?
It might be possible that Mascherano decides to leave in the summer and that’s perhaps why his teammates agreed to present him with the chance.
