It was a welcome back for three players last night at the Nou Camp as Barca whipped Mallorca by five goals to nil. Alexis Sánchez was in top form and found his mojo by scoring a brace and Cesc Fabregás had an immense game and netted a well deserved hat-trick.
The night also belonged to one player who came on in the 24th minute of the second half, Eric Abidal. Abidal subsituted Gerard Piqué to a hero’s welcome at the Nou Camp. It’s been over a year since his liver transplant and a return to top flight football is an amazing accomplishment. Barca still lead the league by 13 points over Real Madrid who brushed aside Levante with a five goal to one margin with Gonzalo Higuaín scoring an absolute peach of a goal in the 36th minute.
They may as well start getting the Blaugrana coloured ribbons out as this league has Barca’s name written all over it. And with a performance like last night’s without Argentine star Leo Messi, Barca is showing that it is not dependant on the great man for it’s successes either.
With players out injured and thinking ahead to Wednesday’s game against Paris Saint-Germain made ??Tito opts for an atypical starting lineup. It was a starting eleven in which several players ended up responding to criticism about their performances this season.
This was especially true with Alexis, Cesc and Song. All three responded by putting in quality performances. Between Alexis Sánchez and Cesc Fabregás, they distributed the goal haul as well as the goal assists! If last night’s game wasn’t a mirage, Barcelona have recovered their lost form and are playing their best football in this final stretch of the season.
Little can be said about Mallorca. Manzano’s team assumed their role as tail enders of the league and went out into the Nou Camp with fear in their eyes. It was an awful strategy that resulted in a 5 nil win that could have been much greater.Mallorca should thank their lucky stars that it didn’t turn into double figures last night.
With a 13-point lead over Real Madrid and only 24 points left to play for, it’s just a matter of time until Barcelona is proclaimed champions of this league. What remains now though is how far the Catalans can go in the Champions League. The question will be answered on Wednesday, when Paris Saint-Germain visit the Nou Camp for the decider. Xavi Hernández will be there with Messi still doubtful.
