Lionel Messi Hits Record Treble but Luis Suarez Form Perfect for El Clasico

CAMP NOU, Barcelona—Things couldn't have gone any better for Barcelona against Rayo Vallecano, with Luis Suarez reaching his best form and Lionel Messi breaking records with the same expediency as ever before.

It took the Argentine just 12 minutes to score a hat-trick in the second half, netting the first from a penalty, the second a tap-in and the third, a brilliant dribble away from two defenders and the goalkeeper, before he squeezed it home.

Messi now has 24 hat-tricks in La Liga, more than any other player in history. It was, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo he broke away from; the Madrid star has 23.

Ronaldo was also victimised by Messi in another way. These three goals took Messi to 30 for the season, the same as the Portuguese star, who now shares the "pichichi" top scorer spot with his rival.

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But this was no Messi masterpiece. In truth, he didn't bother turning up in the first half, and it was Suarez pulling the strings.

Nobody can blame him for trying to conserve energy, particularly when it seemed like his team had more than enough to beat Rayo without his influence.

Barcelona were toying with Rayo like a cat with a mouse, Suarez breaking free of the defence, which was parked extremely high up the pitch in classic Paco Jemez fashion, several times in the first 20 minutes.

Barcelona's 6-1 victory was fully deserved, with Luis Enrique's side creating at least six clear goalscoring opportunities in the first period alone.

Suarez opened the scoring after just five minutes, latching onto Xavi's pass and rocketing the ball past Cristian Alvarez with the outside of his boot.

It was a stylish, vicious finish, one which left supporters in no doubt about the Uruguayan's ability to be the No. 9 that this club needs.

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Suarez has scored five goals in four games and is arguably Barcelona's most in-form player.

The Clasico can't come soon enough for him, and he will be especially fired up for it, given how he made his debut in the 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in October.

Various articles in the English media were published before Barcelona's first game against Manchester City, which they won 2-1 thanks to a Suarez double, saying that this was a different, inferior player to the one we had seen at Liverpool.

They were half-right. This is a different Suarez but not an inferior one.

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This Luis Suarez is less selfish than the piranha that was king of the sea at Liverpool. We'd never have seen Suarez pass on so many opportunities to shoot while wearing a red shirt, where here he played in his team-mates instead.

He could have scored five against Rayo, but on three occasions elected to set up a colleague rather than go for goal himself.

Suarez's final ball wasn't quite right; on two occasions he rounded the keeper but couldn't deliver the perfect assist for the waiting Messi.

Messi, far more experienced when it comes to creating assists for his team-mates, laid on Suarez's second goal, flicking the ball through for the striker to run on to, round the keeper and roll home.

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Barcelona are top of La Liga after four months breathing in Real Madrid's exhaust fumes and are in far finer fettle than their rivals.

When it comes to the individual players, Barcelona's attacking trio of Messi, Neymar and Suarez are also in a richer vein of form than Real Madrid's "BBC" (Bale, Benzema and Cristiano), who seem to be suffering transmission problems lately.

Nothing is certain when it comes to the Clasico, but Enrique will feel far more comfortable than Carlo Ancelotti, particularly now Suarez is firing.