Neymar, Iniesta, Suarez Show Barcelona That Lionel Messi Need Not Rush Back

In crushing Real Madrid by four goals Saturday at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Barcelona asserted their superiority over their fiercest rivals and maintained their spot atop La Liga. Perhaps just as importantly, though, the memorable victory showed that Lionel Messi need not be rushed back from injury.

When Messi sustained knee ligament damage in late September, many feared Barcelona would be unable to cope without their superstar. To label Messi a talisman is almost inadequate. The little Argentine's contribution to Barca's success over the past decade is almost immeasurable, though his four Ballon d'Or awards hint at his value.

Saturday's match, therefore, should have represented an opportunity for Real. Messi started a Clasico on the bench for the first time in 11 years, and the hosts had a chance to pull level with Barca atop the table.

But by full-time, the visitors had finished off a crushing 4-0 victory, and the little Argentine had made only a second-half cameo. Messi did contribute to Barca's fourth goal, but by that time the result was well beyond doubt.

Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images

Make no mistake: Barcelona trounced Real Madrid, and they did so largely without the genius of Lionel Messi.

So how did it happen? In general terms, Barca's team approach trumped Real's individuals. But while the whole team contributed, three individuals created and drove home the Catalan side's superiority.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

Luis Suarez scored Barca's first and last goals, bringing his season total to 11. That's one behind Neymar, who scored one himself and combined brilliantly with Andres Iniesta, the other goalscorer. The interplay among the three was too good for Real to handle, and it showed that, although Messi is once again available for selection, he can take his time returning to the starting XI.

Iniesta drew lavish praise from all corners, with Barcelona manager Luis Enrique describing the Spanish midfielder as "patrimonio de la humanidad," or roughly "world heritage," per Sid Lowe of the Guardian.

“He is unique,” Enrique said. “He has magic and he has eyes in the back of his neck.”

At UEFA.com, Joseph Walker summed up Iniesta's imperious performance:

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Iniesta's importance to Barcelona and Spain has never been in doubt, but a combination of age and injuries has inevitably meant the metronome's powers have waned slightly. Today, however, the 31-year-old delivered a vintage display, dominating from start to finish in the centre of the pitch. His turn away from Luka Modrić before feeding Neymar for the second goal was a sight to behold, while his sublime finish to make it 3-0 was that of a man on top of his game. When brought off with 13 minutes left he was afforded the rarest of honours for a Blaugrana: a standing ovation at the Santiago Bernabeu.

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Neymar, meanwhile, is threatening to usurp the two-man hegemony atop the list of the world's best players. Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have long battled for that honor, but Neymar's performances in recent weeks have suggested the Brazilian is taking his game to a new level.

Before Iniesta scored Barca's third against Real, Neymar and Suarez had made the scoresheet their exclusive property in Messi's absence. While there's no replacing a player of Messi's abilities, those three have done a remarkable job without him.

In an analysis of the match for FourFourTwo, Thore Haugstad noted of Neymar:

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By full-time he'd engineered six chances, twice as many as anyone else, and had also completed the most passes in the final third, underlining his influence. As the diagram shows, he rarely received the ball in central positions but created opportunities on his own through direct running and quick passing. For all this, his pass-completion rate still hit 91.1% – an impressive number for such an inventive player. 

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Enrique could hardly contain his joy. And who could blame him? 

"This victory is glorious, especially in the way that it came about," the manager said, per Diario Sport. "We were the better side and the triumph is down to how we played. I didn't see Madrid surrendering out there. I think we were at a higher level and we generated superiority in the areas we wanted." 

He continued, "It is more to our merit that we won, as opposed to Madrid not playing well."

Messi's absence might have turned into a nightmare for Barcelona. But with Neymar, Suarez and Iniesta in top form, the Argentine superstar need not rush his way back into the team.