Athletic Bilbao Crushing Shows Barcelona Don't Suffer Fear of Messidependencia

CAMP NOU, BARCELONA — The fear is gone. Lionel Messi was taken off at half-time, with Barcelona two goals up on Athletic Club Bilbao, but the hosts rammed four more down Los Leones' throats in the second period to win 6-0 Sunday.

When Messi was ruled out for two months earlier this season, we saw Barcelona growing game by game, taking baby steps at first but learning how to walk without their star player.

Not only their star player, Messi is the best player they have ever had, a player who will leave the game as the finest in football history.

So the idea of having the core pulled from the team would understandably give Barcelona, from the directors to the supporters, jitters. It was labelled "Messidependencia"—dependence on Messi.

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But between the end of September and mid-November, Luis Suarez and Neymar learned how to take the reins to make the Blaugrana tick to their beat.

And without Messi in the second half against Athletic, there was no hesitation or momentary insecurity. Now they know how to do this.

Out came the teams after the break, and within two minutes Suarez had found the net, set up by Neymar. No Messi, no problem.

Neymar drifted in from the left, finding a pocket of space so Sergio Busquets could feed the ball to him. Aware of where Suarez was, he flicked it in the striker's direction, before darting off to the right, so the Uruguayan could nudge it back into his path.

Now it was Suarez's turn to move, making a dart through the defence, so he could reach Neymar's perfectly weighted through ball and stroke it past Iago Herrerin to kill the game.

And on they sauntered. This should have been Messi's day, with the Argentinian showing off his fifth Ballon d'Or to the Camp Nou before the game.

A huge banner was draped down one stand to congratulate him for his success, and after he opened the scoring from the penalty spot, you wondered whether it would be the first of a hatful.

It was—just not for Leo.

JOSEP LAGO/Getty Images

JOSEP LAGO/Getty Images

Suarez played a part in five of the goals. He put three in the net himself, won the penalty converted by Messi and also set up Neymar's goal with a raking pass out to the left wing.

Neymar made the other goal, for Ivan Rakitic, taking the creative responsibility after Messi's departure.

There is no doubt having both of them in the team makes Barcelona stronger, with Neymar able to play the partner role to perfection—sidekick is too derogatory—but the Brazilian is at his best when he is the director.

The way he created Rakitic’s goal was a testament to two of his strongest attributes: speed and skill. It was a goal that brought back recollections of Messi’s against Athletic in the Copa del Rey final at the same stadium last May.

Then, it was Messi tearing down the right, leaving defenders for dead, before slamming a low shot inside the near post. This time, it was Neymar down the left, buzzing away from his opponents, completely destabilising them, before cutting it back for Rakitic to roll home, inside the near post.

David Ramos/Getty Images

David Ramos/Getty Images

The secret is out. Neymar made the Ballon d’Or podium alongside Messi, even if he only ended up with the bronze award. The Brazilian is a freakish talent, equally determined to entertain as he is to destroy. They go hand in hand for Neymar.

Athletic players rowed with him at the end of that Copa del Rey final, infuriated by his skills, something they saw as arrogance, a way of taunting them when they were losing. But Neymar’s tricks have purpose. They are not something he does when games are won; they are how he wins games.

Neymar has 16 goals in the league this season, the same as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Suarez has 18, which is more than anyone. Thanks to the aforementioned injury, Messi is down the list on 10.

Of course, nobody at Barcelona likes to see him out of the side. But now there is no fear when he is gone. Only opportunity.