1 Lionel Messi has been playing as a playmaker for Barcelona with spectacular results

On Monday, there was the now infamous press conference, ‘next question’ being the standout phrase. On Tuesday, stories began to emerge that Sandro Rosell was about to resign from his post as FC Barcelona president, TV3 journalist Xavi Torres with impeccable timing and impeccably sourced. On Wednesday, it was all the Barcelona media could talk about, more details emerging by the hour. By Thursday, Rosell was gone, a brief statement but more questions than answers. On Friday, new president Josep Maria Bartomeu held an exceptionally long press conference in front of a power point presentation detailing the Neymar deal in full, salary and all. Unprecedented, he called it. On Saturday, there was a day of rest.

On Sunday, Barcelona got back to doing what they do best, playing football. In a stark contrast to the institutional fracturing that had played out in the halls of power at the Camp Nou over the course of the week prior, the Blaugrana produced one of their best collective displays of the season. Xavi looked five years younger, Jordi Alba solid in defence. Sanchez, Fabregas and Pedro all active. Lionel Messi, meanwhile, was at his lethal best.

As in, five goals against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou best. Not five goals scored by him. That night, when Jose Mourinho was handed the most humiliating defeat of his entire career, Messi didn’t score. He did however take part in much of what was brilliant and overpowering from Barcelona, producing two particularly beautiful assists for David Villa. That night, more than a few observers thought: when Messi decides he wants to be a playmaker, he is the best playmaker in the world. Gerardo Martino must have watched that game back a few times lately.

Against Malaga on Sunday Lionel Messi played playmaker again. Not for the first time in recent weeks, either. After Barcelona’s toothless La Liga draw against Levante last weekend, the Catalans were again heading for a less than savoury result against the side from Valencia in a midweek Copa del Rey clash, behind by one goal at half-time. Following the break, something changed. For some it was simply that Lionel Messi decided he wanted to win, but further evidence this weekend suggests it was a tactical shift on Tata Martino’s behalf. Instead of playing false number nine as he has so brilliantly over the last few years, Messi stuck faithfully to the back of his shirt, becoming Barcelona’s number ten.

In the second half of the cup game with Levante, Messi was rampant. Four times, Cristian Tello angled to make the run in behind the Levante defence from the left flank. Four times, Messi picked him out perfectly with a cross-field pass, each of them weighted differently but weighted perfectly. Four times, Barcelona scored. The Catalans came out 4-1 winners. Messi didn’t find the back of the net, but Messi won the game.

Last weekend’s La Liga clash with Malaga suggests Martino may just be on to something. Much of Messi’s traditional strengths were on show: the intelligent movement, the ability to draw four players in then, with a change of pace, shake them off and burst away to freedom. Yet notably, instead of looking up for a shot on goal after ridding himself of a group of assailants, Messi’s first thought on Sunday seemed to be to release the ball, to find a team mate in a more advanced role. Something had changed, quite deliberately.

It worked like a charm. Bernd Schuster had fielded five at the back to try and stifle Barcelona, but he probably wasn’t anticipating the home side’s approach. Messi was involved in the build-up for both Alexis and Pedro’s goals from open play, not to mention Gerard Pique’s finish from a corner.

His role solved several problems for Barcelona. The strong form shown by Pedro and Alexis in the first half of the season had notably arrived in Messi’s absence. There had been fears that when the Argentine recovered from injury, the two forwards would return to their patchy showings of last season. With Messi operating as playmaker, that hasn’t been a concern. The wide players continue to score, while Messi continues to be involved, not necessarily finishing off moves (though he can still do that), but constructing them, showing off his unrivalled vision.

Xavi, meanwhile, looked like he was sporting a new pair of ankles. More mobile at the weekend than he has been in years, in truth, the midfielder’s job is made much easier with the additional presence of Messi to associate with in the most congested areas of the pitch. At times, the interchanges between the Argentine, the veteran and Sergio Busquets were reminiscent of Barcelona’s sharp passing at its best in years gone by. Xavi’s first thought when he receives the ball is to look up and search for someone to release it to. Over the last 16 months or so Barcelona’s disjointed lines have often made it look like that ‘someone’ in question didn’t exist. On Sunday, however, Messi always seemed to be available.

Cesc Fabregas, too, appreciated Messi’s shift. In regularly vacating his nominal space in the forward line, the number ten opened up room for the former Arsenal man to run into. Those secondary runs into the final third from midfield are a key part of Cesc’s game that have sometimes been dampened at the Camp Nou by the presence of too many players intent on occupying the same area of the pitch. At Sunday, however, the understanding between the number four and Messi was as good as it has been in a long time, with the pair interchanging instinctively and effectively. These are all good signs for Gerardo Martino.

Messi’s adjusted role isn’t likely to be a permanent one; he will always love scoring goals, and there are few that do it as well as he does. It is however a particularly useful tactical recourse for Barcelona’s manager, who admitted last week that the option of playing the four time Ballon d’Or winner as a playmaker behind the strikers is one he could use on occasion. A similar shift over the last five days saw a notable improvement in Barcelona’s collective play in the middle of the pitch. With Manchester City on the horizon, that could be a useful option for the Catalans. With Bayern Munich the team to beat in Europe, it could be an absolute necessity.

Don’t expect any similar collectivism from La Liga, however. With Sunday’s win, Barcelona have now been at the top of the league for 59 weeks. For some of the time, they haven’t even been that good. Ask PSG or Bayern. Moreover, ask Ajax. La Liga continues to eat itself alive.

Elsewhere: Celta 4-2 Betis, Real Madrid 2-0 Granada, Valladolid 1-0 Villarreal, Valencia 2-2 Espanyol, Sevilla 2-3 Levante, Almeria 1-0 Getafe, Osasuna 1-5 Athletic, Rayo 2-4 Atletico.

Real Sociedad play Elche tonight in the Monday night game.

Should Barcelona consider playing Messi as a playmaker against the tougher sides in Europe? Let us know by leaving a comment below…