Fabregas-inspired Barcelona thrash Levante 5-0
Barcelona answered Real Madrid’s earlier win at Sporting Gijón with an emphatic 5-0 victory over fourth-placed Levante to make it seven home wins out of eight with 35 goals scored and none conceded
Cesc Fabregas was the star of the show as he took just four minutes to find the back of the net with a low shot from the edge of the box after being set up by Andrés Iniesta. The former Arsenal man was on the mark again just after the half-hour mark, rising unchallenged in the area to glance a Xavi Hernández free-kick past goalkeeper Gustavo Munua. Five minutes later youngster Isaac Cuenca made it 3-0 when he took advantage of link-up play between Lionel Messi and Iniesta to coolly slot home into the bottom corner.
Any Levante hopes of a comeback or at least keeping the score respectable were dashed within 15 minutes of the restart, Messi scoring a trademark goal when finishing clinically from close home and Alexis Sánchez seeing his effort hit defender Sergio Ballesteros and loop over Munua on its way into the net.
Messi then showed he is humen by missing two gilt-edged chances from a few yards out and Iniesta had an effort chalked off for offside, but Juan Ignacio Martínez’s men went the way of every team bar Sevilla to visit the Camp Nou this term and were soundly beaten.
However, boss Pep Guardiola is under no illusions his side will need to improve on their away form if they are to take anything away from the Santiago Bernabéu in next week´s El Clásico. Barca have won just twice in six attempts on their travels and Guardiola said : “It has been difficult for us to close out games away from home. Here the statistics speak for themselves. We will have to change the dynamic if we are to be champions and against a team like Madrid it’s impossible to win away without improving.”
One thing Guardiola may change against Real is the 3-4-3 system employed against Levante, something he recognises might not have the same success against a team of Madrid’s quality: “We’ll have to see,” he admitted. “It’s a risk but I’ve still not decided. Madrid at the Bernabéu are impossible to put under pressure for any length of time.”
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