5 things Barcelona learned from El Clasico

4. Messi isn’t the main man anymore

That heading is slightly misleading because of course Messi is still top dog at Barcelona, but hear me out.

When Messi burst onto the scene under Frank Rijkaard, he was given a sporadic, supporting role alongside Ronaldinho, When the Brazilian left in 2008, Messi became the main man and has held that position ever since.

In previous years, his strike partners have not lasted because they couldn’t handle such a small share of the limelight. Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez have a great relationship, but there was always the feeling Messi still edged it in terms of importance. Until now.

That isn’t to say he is being forced aside, but rather it is testament to his footballing intelligence and enjoyment of playing with Neymar and Suarez. In the Clasico, he dropped deep to the point where he wasn’t the main goal threat. His job was to impact the game between the lines and, more importantly, feed Suarez.

It has been inconceivable for a long time that Messi would not take responsibility for scoring as many goals as possible, but this is all part of his and the team’s evolution.