Messi is still injured, Mascherano suspended.
But Getafe v Barcelona was always gonna have one result.
I’m still getting used to seeing Neymar with a normal hairstyle.
Munir, a left-footed attacker who plays wide right, is a bit like Ozil in style, but not so penetrating.
Maybe Munir will train on. He’s been one of the best in the La Masia.
After the treble, what now for Barcelona? How do you follow a treble that ended with a thrilling final in Berlin against Juventus?
The first goal took 37 minutes to arrive but it was worth waiting for.
As Neymar fastened onto a mistake by the right back, he powerglided down the left towards the corner of the penalty area with his head up the whole time, choosing his pass, knowing that the ball is his servant.
Neymar used his right foot to jab the ball hard across to the D, where it came thigh high to Sergio Roberto, who flicked forward into the run of Suarez and spun round to see the result of his pass, all in the same movement. What he saw was that Suarez’s control was flawless, andhis mind razor-sharp. He dummied the keeper and slotted cheekily inside the post.
0-1 in 37 minutes.
PURE MAGIC and slightly surreal the first time yiou saw it. One of the 10 best goals I’ve seen this season. And one that only Barcelona could have scored. Fast, artistic and clinical.
Barcelona could easily have to won 5-0 but the quality of the second goal was as outstanding as the first.
Sergio Roberto got another assist, one that was completely different, with a much longer pass from the other side of the pitch. He dropped deep on the right side to collect a quick throw from keeper Claudio Bravo, then cruised over the halfway line and measured a magnificent diagonal ball into the run of Neymar, who had stayed onside. As the ball dropped eight yards out, the Brazilian volleyed into the ground so that the ball bounced and scooted inside the post.
Killer finish from a fantastic pass by a player who seemed, at that moment, capable of dropping a football into a moving basketball hoop.
OK, it was only little Getafe.
But the quality of the goals was astounding.
Barcelona, even without Messi, can give you things no other team can supply.