Barcelona's Rout of Hercules Prompts Interesting Questions for Luis Enrique

If we learned anything from Barcelona’s 7-0 win over Hercules at Camp Nou on Wednesday night it’s that the Copa del Rey needs a revamp. Even though it took 37 minutes for the hosts to open the scoring, the result was never in doubt.

Lucas Digne eventually broke through, and the visiting minnows were crushed, with Ivan Rakitic adding the second from the penalty spot before the Catalans ran riot in the second half and racked up five more goals.

It was Barcelona’s last game of 2016, and it left a sweet taste in the mouth for Luis Enrique and his team, particularly for striker Paco Alcacer, who grabbed his first goal for the club with a header from close range.

However, as the coach walked off into the Barcelona night, he was left pondering various issues, which he can think about over the festive period before Barca get back into action in January after the Christmas break.

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Who will Barcelona be playing next? 

Barcelona return to La Liga action on January 8 against Villarreal, but before that they will play their next Copa del Rey match.

The draw for the next round is on Friday, with Luis Enrique cynically expecting the worst for Barcelona when it comes to their prospective opponents. “I’m sure we’ll get someone interesting,” he said pointedly in his post-match press conference.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Should Arda Turan play more often in place of Neymar?

To ask that question would have been considered ridiculous at the start of the season. While it is unlikely to see Neymar dropped and the MSN broken up, Arda Turan has been doing his best to ensure that the coach has to think about leaving him out instead of doing so reflexively.

Arda scored a hat-trick against Hercules and ran the show, earning the penalty for Barcelona’s second goal, converted by Rakitic, and was the team’s driving force going forward.

He now has an impressive 11 goals for the season, bettering Neymar’s tally by some way. The Brazilian has notched six, failing to score in his last nine games and picking up six yellow cards since he last found the net.

Neymar’s display against Espanyol in Barcelona’s 4-1 win was impressive and the creativity, dynamism and speed he offers down the left flank are all useful for Barcelona, with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi enjoying more space because of his presence. However, being so comprehensively outscored by Arda at least creates debate, even if both the best option and the most likely course of action for Luis Enrique is to leave Neymar in the team.

Arda has proved he is far more effective as a wide forward than in midfield for Barcelona, which unfortunately for him means he might not be rewarded for his fine form because of the presence of the MSN.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Where is Andre Gomes’ best position? 

Luis Enrique deployed the Portuguese midfielder as a pivot against Hercules, where he helped Barcelona control the game. One pass in particular was notable, swinging the ball out to the right for Aleix Vidal, who crossed for Arda to nod home Barcelona’s third.

It seems while the short-term intention is to use Gomes, whose natural position is as an interior, as relief for Sergio Busquets in defensive midfield, that may end up being the long-term strategy too. Per Sport, the coach said: 

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When we put him there [pivot role] we understand he has the qualities to do it, later we will have to see with a number of games under his belt if it's his position. I think, however, that his best position is interior and that's where he can give the team the most, not just for how he works on the ball but for how he arrives [in the box] and the shot he has. He helped us as a pivot. I think in the end it's something that helps the players, to be able to feature in various positions, and of course the team, as I have more resources and more options.

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This was another demonstration that Gomes is comfortable playing deeper, although doubts still remain over whether he can play that position against opponents who will spend more time in attacking areas.

Is Paco Alcacer fixed?

Paco Alcacer scored in Barcelona’s recent 5-3 friendly win over Al-Ahli, although that did not count as an official goal. However, the confidence he gained from that may have helped him as he struck again for Barcelona on Wednesday night. 

His goal was arguably offside, but the forward will assert that he deserved a bit of luck after coming close many times since signing from Valencia but failing to break his duck. Until now—791 minutes later, according to AS. 

Luis Enrique may have been doubting himself over whether he made the right choice bringing in Alcacer and letting both Sandro Ramirez and Munir El Haddadi go, with both of those forwards finding the net for Malaga and Valencia respectively this season.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

The striker said afterwards, per Goal (link in Spanish): “I didn’t suffer, no, because the words of my team-mates and the coaches are the most important thing. The only thing I was lacking was a goal. I haven’t had a bad time, but I had enthusiasm to score, I just lacked the luck. The first is always the hardest.”

The look of sheer relief on his face told a different story, as he raised his arms to the heavens.

Rafinha or Denis Suarez?

That this is a dilemma for Luis Enrique is a good thing, in truth. Both are battling—along with Arda and Gomes—to be included in the team in the fight for Rakitic’s position, with the Croatian’s start here only the second in six games.

Both played well against Hercules, with Rafinha excellent going forward, while Denis’ technical skills in the second half delighted the Barcelona fans. This is a battle that will rage on and is only something that will benefit the club.

Can the team overhaul Real Madrid?

After the shock of the terrible display against Real Sociedad and then the disappointment of conceding late against Real Madrid in the Clasico, Barcelona looked in bad shape.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

But the last half-an-hour of the latter game and the matches since have restored confidence and pride to the team, and they have cut Madrid’s lead down to three points with that emphatic Catalan derby victory, although Los Blancos have a game in hand. Barcelona finished 2016 with a bang and are out for blood.

Will Lucho stay at the club?

This is a tough decision and one that he will not make until spring, even though his contract expires this summer. But there were further signs of the coach being fed up with some elements of the job on display after the game, including his sarcastic singing of “Feliz Navidad” (Merry Christmas) in response to a question about Espanyol manager Quique Sanchez Flores.

Rik Sharma is Bleacher Report's lead Barcelona correspondent. All information and quotes obtained firsthand unless specified. Follow him on Twitter here: @riksharma_.