La Liga: FC Barcelona 4-0 Espanyol: Player Ratings

Finally, another clean sheet! Valdés had little to do in the Blaugrana goal over the course of the 90 minutes, but when called upon, he was excellent. Rushing from his goal in the 80^th minute, Valdés denied Juan Albin what would have been a certain goal and for that alone, he deserved his clean sheet.

Soon after the FIFPro World XI was announced, I was tweeted by a member of this community, @ian_reynolds, who argued that Alves' inclusion shows how spoiled we are as Barcelona fans - and it's difficult to disagree. Alves played well on Sunday, and while he isn't as efficient as Sergio Busquets, or Xavi, it's all part of his charm. Sometimes he can be unplayable; sometimes he can be poor - but you always know that you are going to receive 100% effort from the Brazilian - and judging by that World XI, we should probably cut him some slack.

Pique was also voted into the FIFPro World XI, and it's easy to see when he puts in performances like this. It's almost like having a brick-wall in the heart of defense; his reading of the game is simply phenomenal, and as a result, strikers must dread coming up against the elegant centre-half. Oh, and he's not half-bad with the ball at his feet either.

So dominant was Pique's performance, that I nearly forgot that Puyol was on the field. Quietly going about his business, Puyol was as solid as ever and barely put a foot wrong in the entire 90 minutes.

Who cares if Marcelo was voted into the World XI, it's clear that Jordi Alba is better. In his first Derbi match, Alba showed no signs of nerves and put in a colossal performance on the left. The statistics show his importance to the Blaugrana attack, but it's his defensive contribution that really makes the difference.

Sergio Busquets is the most complete defensive midfield player in World Football today - and that's all the really needs to be said.

At this point in time, I'm questioning whether Fabregas actually got injured against Real Betis. Cesc settled back into the groove so seamlessly and delivered a fine performance against a combative Espanyol midfield. It's a shame that he didn't have an assist to show for his probing passing, but even so, Cesc will be content with his return.

As per usual, Xavi put in an excellent performance in the centre of midfield and Espanyol simply couldn't cope. His movement off the ball was exceptional and even led to the game's opener and Xavi's fifth (La Liga) goal of the season.

Isn't it nice to have the old Pedro back? While there was a touch of fortune about his first goal, the second - a clinical lob over Casilla - just oozed quality; something that Pedro has been lacking in recent weeks and months.

A complete performance from the Argentine superstar, who managed to help pin Espanyol back by defending from the front. Sure, it wasn't his best performance in front of goal, but it wasn't his worst either - as Messi not only scored from the penalty spot, but also struck the woodwork with a free-kick and supplied Pedro with an assist for the game's second goal.

How did we ever survive without Iniesta on the left-side of attack? Once again, Andres excelled in what used to be an unfamiliar position to supply an assist for the game's opening goal. However, that only tells half the story. Iniesta's presence allows Alba more space to work, and it also enables the Blaugrana to keep possession higher up the field, closer to the opposition goal. With eleven assists in thirteen La Liga appearances, it's clear to see that Iniesta is at the top of his game.

A decent substitute appearance for Thiago, who did a bit of everything in his time on the field. His passing is always superb, but he could benefit from a little more caution on the ball.

What about that opening half-an-hour? Rushing out the blocks, Barcelona raced into a four-goal lead and never looked back. The movement off the ball was excellent, and as a result the Blaugrana looked as dangerous as they have all season. Another goal, and we probably would have been looking at a perfect 10/10 rating.

Back on the bench just weeks after surgery, how can that be anything but a perfect 10/10?

Thanks to his decisive brace, Pedro scooped the MOTM award on Sunday, although I would have probably given it to Busquets.