FC Barcelona: 6 Things We Learned Against Real Zaragoza

Real Zaragoza have not droped points in almost a month. They have upset Valencia and Atletico Madrid in the last few weeks.

Barcelona ended that streak when they beat Zaragoza 4-1.

Lionel Messi scored two more goals, bringing him to 38 on the season—one ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays Valencia tomorrow.

Even though Barcelona won by three goals, two of them came in the last 10 minutes, and they were fortunate Zaragioza did not score more.

The defense continued to disappoint and Pep Guardiola is running out of options.

Here are five things we learned against when Barcelona beat Zaragoza.

Barcelona Was Lucky

Barcelona left Zaragoza with all three points, but make no mistake, they were lucky not to have dropped any.

Real was the better team for about 60 minutes in this match. Fortunately for Barcelona, a Victor Valdes penalty save and two goals in five minutes put them on top.

Barcelona's attack was relentless in the second half, remaining inches away from that decisive goal. It was not until a Lionel Messi penalty in the 85th minute that three points were sealed.

Pedro would add a fourth in extra time, but this match was a lot closer than the score showed.

Still, just as Barcelona could have scored six goals, Zaragoza could have had four before halftime.

Zaragoza Should Keep Hope

The final score was an unfair result for a Zaragoza side that showed so much character.

In the first half, Carlos Aranda should have had a brace to put Zaragoza up 2-0, but missed a penalty with an awful effort. At least he made up for it just minutes later.

When Abraham Minero received a second yellow just before half time, it looked like Real were doomed.

Yet, they fought hard and kept Barcelona out of goal for the next 45 minutes. They still attacked Barcelona and looked to keep rekindle that late magic they had created over the last month.

Unfortunately, it was Lionel Messi who would grab a late goal this time. There was no magic to be found.

Still, fans should keep hope. This performance is something to be proud of as proof that they can hang with anyone in the league.

Relegation can still be avoided, and this match showed a lot of promise for Real Zaragoza.

Mascherano May Not Be the Answer

For the second straight match, Javier Mascherano was shown to be a liability in central defense.

It has to be said that Masch has been spectacular all season and has been one of the main reasons Barcelona is still in the title race.

However, his lack of understanding as a true center back is becoming more and more apparent.

First, against AC Milan in the Champions League, Mascherano was the man responsible for Antonio Nocerino's goal.

He was about three feet apart from the trap and made sure Nocerino was in position.

Then against Zaragoza, it was Mascherano who allowed Aranda to run by and take the shot that led to the first goal. He was also responsible for the penalty Aranda missed.

I am not saying Mascherano should be dropped. Pique's fitness problem makes that impossible anyway.

I am saying that teams will continue to go after Mascherano as he proves to be a weak link at the back.

Messi Needs Help

Lionel Messi scored two more goals against Zaragoza. He now has 60 in all competitions.

Three of the four goals against Real were because of Messi. He also assisted in Pedro's goal.

Carles Puyol scored only after Cesc Fabregas missed an open net and after a bad decision by Roberto not to knock the ball out of play.

The many failed chances Barcelona had just shows how much Messi needs help from his teammates. He may be nearly unstoppable, but Messi cannot win a treble by himself.

Some fans are praying for David Villa to return, but are forgetting just how bad Villa was before his injury.

Sanchez, Fabregas and Pedro all need to produce more. There is too much reliance on Messi, and he needs help from his teammates.

No one else is helping Barcelona with the goal-scoring load, and that is what gives Real Madrid the advantage right now.

Aside from Ronaldo, Real can look to Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain to score. Barcelona is almost totally reliant on Messi.

Shutting him down means shutting Barcelona down. That may not be easy to do, but if someone figures it out in the Champions League, it would be game over for Barcelona.

Barcelona Cannot Win Trophies Like This

Throughout the entire match, Zaragoza was attacking Barcelona on the counter. In the first half especially, Real were constantly putting balls in the Barcelona box.

If they were fielding Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo or even Fernando Torres, Zaragoza could have gone into half time with three goals.

The defense looked slow and out of position. The midfield could not hold the ball without Xavi. Everyone looked uncomfortable when the ball was lost.

If Barcelona does not improve, it will not win anything else this season.

Many Barça fans are foolishly looking at the upcoming Clasico and Chelsea matches as certain victories. They will not win either one at this rate.

If Real Zaragoza caused so much trouble with its counter attack, what do you think Real Madrid and Chelsea will do?

But Keep Things in Perspective

As disappointing as the match was, we have to look at the big picture.

Xavi, Iniesta and Pique were all absent. Sergio only came on after an hour.

Not having Xavi, Iniesta or Sergio for most of the match definitely hurt. Just as we saw against Osasuna, Barcelona are a different team without their midfield maestros—not that we ever need a reminder.

The defensive concerns are the most worrying since the depth is thin and they have been poor even when at full strength this season.

I expect Guardiola to correct most of these problems, so I am not saying Barça will not win anything.

I am just saying that playing the way they did today will not bring any silverware.

What Did You Learn?

One team is fighting relegation, and the other is the best club in the world. That did not prevent this match from being close.

It was expected that Zaragoza would fight hard, but coming to so close to at least a draw may have surprised some.

What did you learn from the match?

Am I being too critical on Mascherano or Messi's support? Is Pedro back on track after his goal?

Was the absence of both Xavi and Iniesta the main culprit for a poor performance, or is there something deeper?

I welcome all comments and feedback.

Click here to see what we learned from Real Madrid match against Valencia.