Barcelona continues to make history as they remained unbeaten for the 36th consecutive game after a 4-0 win on the road against Eibar, in a comfortable performance and a masterclass by Lionel Messi, who decided to win the game by himself and gave us another show. Here's a few takeaways from what we saw on Sunday:
1. Luis Enrique has a new rotation system
I have no idea if what I'm about to say is accurate, true or even serious. But I have a theory. Enrique will never abandon his rotations, and they are huge in maintaining the level of fitness of the squad even after 19 games in 2 months. But every substitution or rotation by the coach creates controversy, so Lucho might have found a discrete solution: suspensions.
And I have three examples to support this crazy theory: in London, Barça had just scored the second goal against Arsenal, and Enrique talked to Gerard Piqué, who was one yellow card away from an automatic ban in the Champions League. Just seconds later, Piqué got booked and won't play the second leg, which will be a good rest. Last Thursday, Neymar made a dumb foul and got booked against Rayo Vallecano, and he was in a crazy run of games. He was suspended and went to Brazil to rest and celebrate his sister's birthday.
Then on Sunday, with a few minutes to go in a 4-0 rout, Javier Mascherano, one yellow away from a ban, got a booking for an unnecessary foul. And he said after the game that he is happy with a rest against Getafe next week. Again, this is probably idiotic and just for fun, but has Evil Genius Lucho found a way to rotate without noise from fans and the press? And without making his stars angry? Who knows. If this is actually true, it's a sensational idea.
2. The streak was not a problem
Every time a sports team achieves such a fantastic and historic mark, they tend to relax from the mental craziness of that record-setting run and usually play badly in the next few games. After getting to 35 straight unbeaten and breaking the record, it was interesting to watch if the Eibar game was going to show a relaxed team lacking focus and relieved from the pressure. It was anything but that. The players, especially Lionel Messi, did not seem mentally exhausted or showing lack of concentration. Barça played a great first half to secure the victory and basically put the second half in autopilot.
It looks like this team can reach 50 straight games without a loss and they won't even notice, or feel pressure from the responsibility of it. They just play, compete and want to win, with or without history on the line. And that is even more special than history itself.
3. Munir might become a reliable backup
This has been a good season for the young striker. He came into the scene with enormous hype and expectations after a flying start to the last campaign, but he struggled with the spotlight and saw very few minutes towards the end. But with the crazy start full of injuries this season, he had to be used, and he responded well. That earned him minutes even with a healthy squad, and every time he's required to step up, he has done his job quietly and efficiently. Which is the exact role of a backup player. He might struggle again, which is natural and part of life for a young player having to replace one of the three best footballers on the entire planet. It's a lot of pressure, and he seems to be getting used to it.
If Munir continues to improve and do his part, we might not need Nolito to come to Catalonia after all. Save the money. We need it.
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