Anoeta changed Lionel Messi... and Barça are benefitting from his glorious form
"After the defeat at Anoeta, everything changed," Lionel Messi said earlier this year. And it's the Argentine himself who has led that change at FC Barcelona, scoring goal after goal and posting glowing statistics. Prior to that game against Real Sociedad, Barça's No.10 had scored 15 times in 17 league games. Since then, he has scored 17 in 10.
Messi's match-winning double against Elche on Saturday took him onto 32 La Liga goals for the season, two clear of Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for the Pichichi. Ronaldo's form has dropped since Christmas. Messi's two goals also helped Barça strengthen their position at the top of the table.
If we look at the data in general, also throwing in the Copa del Rey and the Champions League, the change doesn't look as significant. Messi notched 23 goals in 23 appearances up until Anoeta, with 20 coming in the 16 following matches. These 43 goals have included six hat-tricks and six doubles.
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When Barça lost to La Real, Real Madrid lost the same day to Valencia, signalling the end of their 22-game winning run and the start of a bad patch. Los Blancos haven't been good in 2015, with Schalke coming close to producing a shock in the Champions League round-of-16 at the Bernabeu last week.
In attack, Madrid have struggled to function as they had done previously. Their front three of Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema have managed just 13 league goals this year, with Messi on 17.
FC Barcelona are now preparing for an important week. They hope to eliminate Manchester City, who lost to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday, from the Champions League on Wednesday, while they will then end the week taking on Madrid in the Clasico at Camp Nou.
