Luis Enrique's Barcelona Killing Machine Far Too Strong for Athletic Bilbao

This isn't the first time that Luis Enrique's Barcelona killing machine has taken a victim this season, but it's certainly been the slickest attacking display they've created. 

Lionel Messi put in a "perfect 10" display, and his strike partners, Neymar and Luis Suarez, were also in inspiring form as the trio put Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Bilbao to the sword. 

Before this 5-2 win in the new San Mames, the most impressive rendition of the Barca manager's new ideas had come in the 3-1 triumph over rivals Atletico Madrid on Jan. 11.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

That game was important for many reasons. First, it came after a week of turbulence at Barcelona, a week the club had been submerged in "crisis."

Second, it was the first time that Barcelona's forward line had really begun to jell, each of them scoring in a morale-boosting victory.

Third, it came against a direct title rival. And No. 4: It has proven to be the turning point in Barcelona's season.

But Sunday's win over Athletic Bilbao will also be crucial in Barcelona's campaign.

The weeks in between the Atletico win and now proved fruitful, but Barcelona hadn't exploded as vibrantly as this.

They have now won nine games in a row in all competitions, and it seems like the relationship between the three attackers is improving with each consecutive match.

Neymar, Messi and Suarez understand each other. They don't even seem to be competing with one another to be the best. Instead, they are inspiring one another to do greater things.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

That is a much different situation than the affairs at Real Madrid, where Gareth Bale has been accused of selfishness for not passing to Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in recent weeks.

While any claims of disharmony may be exaggerated, there does seem to be completely different chemistry in the way Barcelona's attackers link together compared to the way Real's do.

Like improvisation artists, Barcelona's strikers work together to create a rich, textured scene, whereas Real's stars seem to be more like individual stand-up comics, each trying to out-dazzle the other.

That's not a criticism of Madrid's way, because the Ronaldo-Benzema-Bale attack is as potent as any other in the world.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Or at least was. Lately, Carlo Ancelotti's men seem to have gone off the boil.

They got away with a few poor performances by scraping wins, but Atletico Madrid exposed the cracks on Saturday with a 4-0 thrashing in the Madrid derby.

Injury-hit Madrid were crushed remorselessly by their neighbours, as Diego Simeone's side handed Barcelona the impetus in the title race.

And they gleefully received it from the Argentine's hands, with his compatriot, Messi, leading the charge on Sunday.

He opened the scoring with a deflected free-kick, but if that was fortunate, then there was absolutely no luck involved with what followed.

Messi created the second goal for Suarez, forced the third goal in off an Athletic defender and then set up Neymar for Barca's fourth.

But the real genius came in the fifth goal, even though Messi didn't actually get credited the assist. He took the ball deep in enemy territory, led a handful of defenders one way, and then the other, before releasing the ball at the perfect moment to hit the run of Sergio Busquets.

Alvaro Barrientos/Associated Press

The midfielder unselfishly squared the ball to substitute Pedro, who tapped home. Though history will only acknowledge the Canary Islander as the scorer and Busquets the provider, it was Messi's goal.

Barcelona face Villarreal on Wednesday night in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg, and it would be surprising if they don't carry on in the same swashbuckling way.