Barcelona: Luis Enrique says there is still considerable room for improvement despite Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scoring their 15th league goals of the season as Barcelona stayed on the heels of La Liga leaders Real Madrid by winning 4-0 at Eibar on Sunday.
Substitute Denis Suarez scored his first goal for Barca, firing the visitors into the lead from the edge of the area in the 31st minute after replacing Sergio Busquets, who had been carried off on a stretcher with strained ankle ligaments following a crunching tackle by Eibar’s Gonzalo Escalante.
Messi stretched Barca’s lead by finishing off a brilliant move with Luis Suarez in the 50th minute and the Uruguayan joined his close friend and strike partner on 15 league goals by robbing an Eibar defender and finishing inside the near post in the 68th.
Neymar added an extra shine to the victory by netting in the 91st minute, scoring his first goal for Barca from open play since October.
“We leave here with one piece of bad news which is Busquets’s injury although it’s not as serious as we thought,” Barca coach Luis Enrique told reporters after a fourth straight win in all competitions.
“We have very good players in midfield who we can rely on. After everything I feel satisfied with what I saw on the pitch.
“We said we needed to get better results and that’s what we’re doing, and that’s giving us more confidence, but we’re still far from the level we want to be at.” Barca are third on 41 points, two behind Real, who beat Malaga 2-1 on Saturday and have a game in hand.
But Madrid pair Luka Modric and Marcelo are facing spells on the sidelines after they suffered muscular injuries, Real confirmed on Monday.
Brazilian left back Marcelo and Croatian midfielder Modric underwent tests on Monday after being forced off the pitch during the 2-1 home win.
“Following tests carried out today at the Sanitas La Moraleja University Hospital, Marcelo has been diagnosed with a grade 2 muscle injury in his left hamstring,” Real said in a statement.
“Modric has been diagnosed with a strain in his right abductor muscle.” Real did not confirm the length of the absences but Spanish media reported that the duo could be out of action for up to a month.
They are likely to miss several key games, including Real’s Champions League last 16 first leg at home to Napoli on February 15.
Real, already without the injured Pepe, Dani Carvajal and Gareth Bale, visit Celta Vigo on Wednesday bidding to overturn a 2-1 first-leg deficit to reach the King’s Cup semi-finals.
— Agencies
