In the absence of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique, Barcelona's young stars led the way as a composed performance at the heart of defense from Marc Bartra was complemented by sensational offensive displays from Thiago Alcantara and Cristian Tello. Admittedly, it was "only" relegation-threatened Real Zaragoza, and of course, it would have been a different story altogether if Barca were facing runaway Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich for example, but, regardless of that it really was an exciting display from the Blaugrana. If yesterday's result is any indication, and indeed if the emphatic win over Mallorca is any indication, then it appears as though Barcelona will wrap up the league title within the next few weeks - and they may even set a new record for points attained in a single season in the process, eclipsing Real Madrid's 100 point benchmark, achieved just last season.
While the match may be remembered for Tello's brace, or Thiago's all-round dominance, it wasn't just the first-team players who impressed; in a 10 minute cameo, B team regular Sergi Roberto displayed glimpses of his tremendous potential and on another night, against another goalkeeper, he could have registered an assist for his efforts. Eric Abidal also continued hisremarkable recovery with another ten minutes of game-time - the trip to Munich is almost certainly going to come too soon for the Frenchman, but again, it's an encouraging sign. For Barcelona, everything appears to be going to plan...
