FC Barcelona Make Mincemeat of Villarreal, Send Message to Europe

Villarreal keeper Diego Lopez's reaction to the first Barcelona goal said it all.

A brilliant pass by Cesc Fabregas, a tidy finish by summer superstar Thiago Alcantara and the Catalans were 1-0 to the good.

A video highlight showed an exasperated Lopez throwing up his hands, as if in resignation, or perhaps sincere acceptance that sometimes you simply cannot stop the Catalans from scoring. There was certainly very little he could have done to change the outcome on this particular occasion.

It was an overwhelming feeling of helplessness shared by his side. The visitors were outclassed in every department on a night that saw them succumb 5-0 to a Catalunyan onslaught.

While the Yellow Submarine may have harbored hopes going into the match of snatching an away point, their aspirations were quickly dashed with the first comprehensive Barcelona passing movement. If they were going to grab a goal, it was going to have to come on the counterattack.

And while American-born Italian international Giuseppe Rossi (the subject of a rumored move to Barcelona this summer) almost knotted up the match at 1-1, after his shot on the left edge of the eighteen fizzled just wide of Victor Valdes' goal, scoring opportunities for Villarreal were few and far between.

They simply could not prise the ball away from Barcelona.

Visiting the Camp Nou is no small feat to begin with, and even with a Barcelona side starting without Xavi (who came on as a substitute as he recovers from injury), Gerard Pique, Carlos Puyol and David Villa (who also played as a sub), the hosts maintained that singular aura of dominance that has propelled them into another stratosphere.

Winners of the Supercopa and winners of the UEFA Super Cup. Not yet one month into the season and they're proud owners of two trophies.

With Barcelona in this kind of form, nabbing points at the iconic stadium this season may border on the impossible.

On a weekend that saw Arsenal—long recognized as playing the second-most attractive blend of attacking football (behind Barcelona) in the world—crash and burn famously against Manchester United in an 8-2 humiliation, the Catalans have an even stronger foothold as the gold standard of attacking football.

Whereas that loss may spell the end of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's current philosophy—with the pressure on him to produce, and with a dearth of creativity in his side at the moment, he may be forced to adopt a more pragmatic approach—Barcelona proved that when done right, pass-heavy, technically adept football is a thing of beauty to watch.

Critics have been carping for Wenger to invest in another central striker, to link with Robin van Persie.

Against Villarreal, Barcelona didn't start a center forward. Lionel Messi was the most advanced position on the pitch for the Catalans, yet he still executed his roaming, support-striker blend of play.

They didn't need a point man (notice how much they miss Ibrahimovic?). As color commentator Robbie Mustoe pointed out, Barca consistently get numbers into the opposing penalty area. With so much attacking prowess in such tight quarters, it's only ever a matter of time before they score.

Their players have such an intuitive connection that they feel free to roam about the pitch, switching positions in the attacking third at will and at a whirlwind pace. It gives defenses fits, and it works brilliantly.

Both Barcelona and Arsenal were missing first-team players in their matches. But the Catalans have one thing at present that the Gunners do not: quality in depth.

You could forgive former Arsenal captain Fabregas for breathing a sigh of relief after finalizing his move to Catalunya earlier this month. He seems to have jumped the Arsenal ship just as it was about to submerge. 

Speaking of submerging Submarines, Fabregas provided the second goal in the encounter, after his brilliant run between the two Villarreal central defenders was picked out by a pinpoint Lionel Messi pass.

Fabregas latched onto the ball, touched past the onrushing Lopez and coolly slotted home from a tight angle near the right endline.

It was the type of goal we've seen so often from Barcelona in recent years.

Another Catalan summer signing, Chilean Alexis Sanchez, notched the third goal, blowing past the Villarreal defense to latch onto a lobbed through ball. Sanchez finished with neat precision past Lopez's right.

3-0, and you couldn't blame Sanchez for taking his shirt off in celebration, regardless of the yellow card that followed.

This was a party worthy of starting any campaign.

Only fitting, then, that Lionel Messi got in on the fun, notching his 100th goal at the Nou Camp after a vintage collective passing movement picked out the little Argentine's run, who then only had to touch past Lopez before finishing for the Barcelona fourth.

Not yet done—perhaps he had an eye on La Liga rival Cristiano Ronaldo's weekend performance, who had a hat trick—Messi poked in on a low cross from the impressive Thiago for the Barca fifth.

Hard to believe that this Villarreal side finished fourth last season. But then, so did Arsenal in the Premier League, and a world of good it did for the North Londoners on Sunday. Their two conquerors—Barca and Manchester United—have certainly looked the part as title contenders in the early going.

Whereas Arsenal have only provided glimmers of successful football in recent seasons, with Barcelona, Fabregas may have finally found an 11 where his prodigious talent can truly flourish.

Perhaps commentator Adrian Healey, presiding over the match for ESPN, said it best.

"'With Arsenal, [Cesc] was 'Fab.' With Barcelona, he may become 'great.'"