Messi, Neymar Take Plaudits but Defence Are Proving They Are the Real Deal

Barcelona welcomed a Granada side to Camp Nou on Saturday evening who had only conceded four goals throughout the season prior to the match.

Six unanswered goals from the Catalans showed that the forward line were straight back in the groove after what was a lacklustre performance against Malaga in midweek.

Some of the attacking play was like watching the Barca of old—quick, sharp pass and move. Simple patterns of play, but oh-so-effective when played like this.

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

Neymar with his second hat-trick for the club and Lionel Messi with two goals and two assists will grab the headlines, but scratch a little deeper and another area of Barca's play must be acknowledged.

Seven clean sheets in all competitions since the start of the season is a frankly astonishing statistic and one that's come against the backdrop of the previously undroppable Gerard Pique being left out for three of the seven games.

That's something that would've been unheard of during the last campaign.

The reason that Luis Enrique can afford such a luxury? Step forward Mr. Jeremy Mathieu. The ginger-haired destroyer has proved to be everything that Barca have been looking for in a central defender.

Strong in the tackle with immaculate timing, quick across the ground and with a fearsome aerial presence, his impact has been such that no one is focusing on his age any longer.

Indeed, it would be fair to assume that most supporters will be wondering who will partner Mathieu at the heart of the Blaugrana back line, such has been the ex-Valencia man's impact.

With Thomas Vermaelen now fit and ready to make his mark too, rumours of a Pique sale to Manchester United, per Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express, may not be too wide off the mark.

Rodolfo Molina/Associated Press

Bear in mind, of course, we are talking about a Barcelona side who last season were anything but defensively sound.

Luis Enrique's purchases have been studious, well-researched buys, whatever the nay-sayers will have you believe.

You can't really argue with a manager who takes his team to Paris on the last day of September with goalkeepers who are yet to pluck the ball from the net, can you?!

While Mathieu was the standout exponent on the day, Javier Mascherano was a more-than-able sidekick, and it's that pairing that looks to be Lucho's first choice.

Dani Alves patrolled the right flank like a whirling dervish all night, and his volleyed pass for Messi's first goal was poetry in motion and to coin a phrase, "worth the admission fee alone."

Adriano on the left side did what was necessary, and therefore, all four gave the front six the platform from which to go on and provide Barca's best team performance of the season so far.