Barcelona 6-0 Getafe: Five talking points

The Barca train keeps chugging aheadBarcelona don’t look like slowing down anytime soon as they demolished a Getafe side who looked invisible throughout the match. At one point it looked like they would score every ten minutes but Getafe were let off the hook on several occasionsTheir fate was decided the minute the first goal was scored. Jordi Alba crossed the ball and the unfortunate Rodriguez deflected it into his own net. Next Neymar won a penalty but Messi’s terrible record from the spot continued as his weak effort was well saved.It didn’t matter as the Argentine along with Neymar and Arda Turan scored to complete a 6-0 drubbing of their visitors.Here are five talking points from the match

#1 A stroll to the title?

Barcelona with that thrashing have made it 12 wins in a row in all competitions. There seems to be no end to this goal scoring machine. Even after resting Suarez it hardly affected their performance in front of goal.

Barcelona have now opened up a 11 point gap between themselves and Atletico Madrid, temporarily at least. Their gap over Real Madrid is 15 points with them playing on Sunday night. It only looks like a matter of time before we see them be crowned champions.

It's not just the huge gap in the table but also the manner in which Barcelona are winning their games. They make it look like child’s play when dismantling their opponents.The league title is generally a three horse race but the other two contenders don’t seem to have much of a shot unless they are helped by a dramatic collapse from the Catalans.

With 9 games to go Barcelona’s only real hurdle looks to be Real Madrid. The El Classico is set to take place a few weeks from now but even if they slip up there Real Madrid will still have to hope Barcelona drop a further 9 points from their remaining matches

#2 Getafe digging their own grave

Playing against a rampant Barcelona team is never easy, and it’s all the more daunting when facing them at the Camp Nou. But Getafe’s performance today cannot be justified by any means whatsoever. The team looked out of sorts and just made it easier for the hosts.

Conceding an own goal in the first eight minutes of a match is just inexcusable. Their defenders didn’t put an effort to try and stop Barcelona’s forwards and it's a display that justifies their position in the table. The likes of Neymar Messi and Iniesta had so much time and space to run rings around their defence.

Getafe have now lost 8 out of their last 10 games with one win and a draw. In fact, their solitary win was two months ago against Espanyol and their draw against Seville was unfortunate after leading in the match until the 79th minute.

The club are now on 27 points and in freefall. They are only a single point above the relegation zone in 16th. Considering they were 10th in January it’s a dramatic collapse after earning only four points since then. With some of the teams below them starting to find some form these sort of performances will surely result in relegation.

#3 Barcelona\'s dismal spot kick record continues

Barcelona’s poor penalty record continues after Messi missed another one today. His weak shot was easily saved by the keeper. We all thought they had turned a corner after his wonderfully taken panenka penalty last time out but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Barcelona surprisingly have won the most number of penalties this season and they could have added to their total tally of goals this season had they not been so wasteful. The trio of Messi, Neymar and Suarez have all tried their luck from the spot this season with little success.

50% - Leo Messi (4 out of 8), Neymar (4 out of 8) and Suárez (2 out of 4) have missed 50% of penalties they have taken. MSN

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) March 12, 2016

Barcelona have missed 50% of their penalties with Messi responsible for almost half of those misses. Maybe it is true that Barcelona need two men to take a penalty this season. The miss did not matter much on the day but Luis Enrique will still be very upset over the record.

With Barcelona set to face bigger tests in the weeks to come including facing tougher opponents in the Champions League these type of misses can be ill afforded in high a stakes games.

#4 Suarez misses out on Pichichi race

The Pichichi award is given to the player with the most number of goals in La Liga come end of the season. Suarez was leading the pack for most of 2015/16 until Ronaldo recently took the lead after his four goals against Celta Vigo last weekend.

The Uruguayan would have thought he would be able to go top of the La Liga goalscoring charts today but Luis Enrique decided to rest the striker for more important fixtures that are to come Barcelona's way this season.

But Suarez would have wanted to start the game considering his opportunity to win the coveted prize. On the other hand, Lionel Messi and Neymar also made their claim for the race. Messi scored once taking his tally to 22 for the season while Neymar moved on to 20 with his brace.

The title race might be over for Ronaldo but he would want to take this opportunity to at least gain some personal glory. Real Madrid play Las Palmas tomorrow night and the Portuguese will look to take advantage of Suarez’s break and try and pull away.

Of course, we can never count Lionel Messi and Neymar out of the race either. Boh of them are capable of scoring at a high rate and have an outside chance to win it.

#5 Can Barcelona remain unbeaten until the end of the season?

Barcelona extended their unbeaten record to 37 games with today’s win. They have already gone 3 better than the previous record of 34 games held by Real Madrid. The only question now is how long can the run be sustained.

Their next game against Arsenal might be a potential threat to their run considering the unpredictability of Arsene Wenger’s team. But the match is to be held at the Camp Nou and Barcelona already have a 2-0 advantage from their away leg. Not many can see Arsenal beating an in-form Catalan side at home.

Barcelona are to play Villarreal next week away from home which can be a tricky fixture considering the Yellow Submarines’ good form and position in the table. They also have Real Madrid in the El Classico with Los Blancos out for revenge after their 4-0 loss at the Bernabeu.

But their most challenging task will probably be in the latter stages of the Champions League. With the likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Manchester City all possible opponents in the further rounds there is no telling what the outcome will be.

But Juventus’ 43 match unbeaten record is still a possibility with Barcelona only having to avoid defeat in their next six fixtures. Easier said than done, but if there is any team that can achieve it, it's Luis Enrique's men.