It has always been unbelievable to see Barcelona without Messi, but the record breaker got a hamstring recently and could not play in the Saturday’s clash with Real Mallorca. This game was perhaps the first for Camp Nou club without Messi in the squad since 2010-11 seasons, and if this match was a test for rest of the teammates, they passed it with a ten on ten. Barca crushed their opponent with a 5-0 in the match and main contributor to its victory was Spanish footballer Cesc Fabregas who scored a brilliant hat trick to make it sure his team will comprehensively be ahead of other teams in the league. Actually, the absence of Messi worked well for other players, coz now they played without pressure of being underdog in front of Messi. So, this is being considered as a best discovery for Barca to prepare its second line of strikers alongside Messi. With a 5-0 humiliating victory, Barca maintained its 13-points lead over second placeholder Real Madrid and having eight games in the hand. Coach Tito Vilanova made several changes to his side for this match and his new combination actually worked for him; he rested many key players ahead of their upcoming Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final.
Many can argue that this victory is not as convincing as Braca’s others victories have been during Messi’s dominance coz Mallorca is already a bottom line team, yet not to forget a five goals victory can never be so easy for any team against any team in the world. Many are also labeling Cesc Fabregas as the next Messi if he is given enough opportunities to lead the attack along with Messi. Right now, Messi availability for Wednesday clash is not confirmed hence there could be another opportunity for other players to perform well and prove their worth for the club. However, none of them wants to play without their star player, yet they are quite capable of leading the winning trail even without Messi.
In a press conference held after the match, assistant coach Jordi Roura said, “I would like to highlight the importance of the match this Saturday. It was a special day. We were able to witness Éric Abidal’s return and, after many days, Tito Vilanova once again sat on the bench at the Camp Nou. It was a special moment for the whole team. We know that Éric is very loved person by everyone. Personally, I’m very happy and pleased.”