Barcelona 4-0 Almeria: 5 talking points

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Marc Bartra were all on target as Barcelona comprehensively beat relegation-threatened Almeria 4-0 at Camp Nou to maintain pressure on Real Madrid in the race for the La Liga title.Messi broke the deadlock shortly after the half hour mark with a sublime curling effort from the edge of the area. Suarez and Bartra scored later in the second half to put the tie beyond doubt before the Uruguayan bagged his second in injury time to round off a comfortable evening for the hosts.This game against Almeria was the last slightly easy clash for the Catalans, who now have a packed schedule against some formidable opponents - Sevilla, PSG, Valencia, PSG again and then the derby against Espanyol in the next 2 weeks. Here are the 5 talking points from the game:

#1 Xavi shows why Barcelona must keep him

The Barcelona stalwart is in the twilight of his career and probably leaving for Qatar at the end of the season. His role with the team has reduced in the last two seasons, owing to his age and his waning influence. However, his recent showings suggest otherwise.

Against Almeria, Xavi put in a great shift from the centre of the park, pulling the strings with nonchalance and panache. Almeria might not have been a very tough proposition, but that still doesn’t deny the class the midfielder oozed in the game. Against Celta Vigo last weekend, Xavi evinced how influential he can be in attack, stepping up to the plate when the chips were down.

He may be in his final few days with the club, but certainly hasn’t lost his magic touch yet and that may serve as food for thought for the Catalans.