Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid are unbeaten no more and as much as he may try to deny it, Jose's boys got embarrassed. Pep Guardiola is cementing his place as one of the greatest coaches of all time and Barcelona all but locked up the title of greatest team in the world, for now.
Barca's trademark strategy of short, quick passing frustrated the midfield of Xabi Alonso, Mesut Ozil, and Cristiano Ronaldo. They dominated possession all game long with their pinpoint passing. No group of players in the game today can make this type of soccer look more beautifully in sync than Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. It is as if each pass is a secret handshake between lifelong friends. Messi didn't even have to score to prove that he is the best player in the world right now, setting up David Villa's brace on what couldn't be a more perfect pass followed by another masterful assist.
The Catalan club proved that their perfected youth development system grooms players that money can't buy. Bojan and Jeffren were able to get into the mix at the end, making Sergio Ramos look almost lazy at the back. The Barca loyal made the Nou Camp roar with each goal, waiving their yellow and red flags with pride.
As expected, the game was interrupted by the overflow of tempers as Ronaldo pushed Guardiola and Sergio Ramos saw red after his "illegal hands to the face" on his fellow countrymen Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez. It is a shame, because now it is quite evident that not only were the Madrid players the worse footballers of the match, but also the worst sportsmen of the day.
Will it be a different story at the Santiago Bernabeu in a few months? Or was this the turning point early on in the season that Barca won't look back from? Either way, Jose Mourinho is going to have to come to terms with the fact that he was out-coached and must make changes.
For now, long live Barcelona, the new leaders of La Liga and the maestros of the beautiful game. Barca! Barca! Baaaarca!
