MADRID - With the distraction of two individual scoring records safely out of the way, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi can turn his full focus on helping the club win the major silverware that eluded them last season.
New coach Luis Enrique was as effusive as anyone in his praise of the Barca and Argentina captain, who on Tuesday added the all-time Champions League scoring record to the La Liga-best tally he set at the weekend.
However, both Messi and Enrique know all that will be forgotten unless Barca add another Champions League or La Liga title to the trophy cabinet, or at the very least a King's Cup and preferably all three, in the 2014-2015 season.
As the Catalan side prepare for Sunday's La Liga game at fourth-placed Valencia, there are signs they are beginning to move through the gears after a patchy couple of months.
Tuesday's 4-0 win at Apoel Nicosia followed Saturday's 5-1 drubbing of Sevilla, while new signing Luis Suarez finally opened his Barca account in Cyprus in his sixth appearance.
"This is the version of Barca I would like to see all season long," Enrique said at his post-match news conference on Tuesday.
"If we play like that all the time it is going to be very difficult for anyone to beat us."
Second-placed Barca are two points behind leaders Real after 12 matches and could see the gap stretch to five if the European champions win at Malaga tomorrow. A win will set a club record of 16 consecutive victories.
Full La Liga weekend's fixtures:
TODAY
Real Sociedad v Elche (9.45pm)
TOMORROW
Getafe v Athletic Club (5pm),
Espanyol v Levante (7pm), Malaga v Real Madrid (9pm), Celta Vigo v Eibar (11pm)
SUNDAY
Atletico Madrid v Deportivo La Coruna (1pm), Sevilla v Granada (6pm), Cordoba v Villarreal (8pm), Valencia v Barcelona (10pm).
Records the easy part for ace Messi
MADRID - With the distraction of two individual scoring records safely out of the way, Barcelona forward Lionel Messi can turn his full focus on helping the club win the major silverware that eluded them last season.
New coach Luis Enrique was as effusive as anyone in his praise of the Barca and Argentina captain, who on Tuesday added the all-time Champions League scoring record to the La Liga-best tally he set at the weekend.
However, both Messi and Enrique know all that will be forgotten unless Barca add another Champions League or La Liga title to the trophy cabinet, or at the very least a King's Cup and preferably all three, in the 2014-2015 season.
As the Catalan side prepare for Sunday's La Liga game at fourth-placed Valencia, there are signs they are beginning to move through the gears after a patchy couple of months.
Tuesday's 4-0 win at Apoel Nicosia followed Saturday's 5-1 drubbing of Sevilla, while new signing Luis Suarez finally opened his Barca account in Cyprus in his sixth appearance.
"This is the version of Barca I would like to see all season long," Enrique said at his post-match news conference on Tuesday.
"If we play like that all the time it is going to be very difficult for anyone to beat us."
Second-placed Barca are two points behind leaders Real after 12 matches and could see the gap stretch to five if the European champions win at Malaga tomorrow. A win will set a club record of 16 consecutive victories.
Full La Liga weekend's fixtures:
TODAY
Real Sociedad v Elche (9.45pm)
TOMORROW
Getafe v Athletic Club (5pm),
Espanyol v Levante (7pm), Malaga v Real Madrid (9pm), Celta Vigo v Eibar (11pm)
SUNDAY
Atletico Madrid v Deportivo La Coruna (1pm), Sevilla v Granada (6pm), Cordoba v Villarreal (8pm), Valencia v Barcelona (10pm).
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