How do you improve perfection ?

just add Messi

Some said Barcelona were better without him. While it is true that the Blaugrana found form
during Lionel Messi's time on the sidelines, their team is clearly enhanced with the Argentine
attacker back in the side. How do you improve on what was a perfect performance at Real
Madrid on Saturday? Easy. Just add Leo.

Back in the starting line-up for the first time since he suffered a knee ligament injury in the
match against Las Palmas on September 26, Messi was immediately involved and had the ball in
the net after only six minutes, only to see his strike wrongly ruled out by an offside flag.

No problem. Barca's dominance was total against a Roma side that didn't know whether to
defend high up the pitch or drop deep. And it wasn't long before their resistance buckled, with
Neymar setting up Dani Alves who in turn found Luis Suarez for the Uruguayan to tap home
after 15 minutes.

And three minutes later, Messi made it 2-0 with a wonderful chip that culminated a glorious team
move. This was Barca at their breathtaking best and the Argentine - as usual in recent seasons -
was there to provide the fabulous finishing touch

A stunning Suarez volley brought the third, while Gerard Pique (who had been so eager to net a
fifth against Real Madrid on Saturday) made it four after the break. And Barca got their 'Manita'
- that five-goal advantage they so nearly secured at the Santiago Bernabeu - through Messi again
on the hour.

By now, Neymar was keen to get involved as well but he saw a penalty saved by Wojciech
Szczesny after Messi had generously handed him the ball. Barca were not to be denied, though,
and Adriano smashed home the rebound.

This was an exhibition. Roma came into the Camp Nou clash as the only one of Italy's elite
teams never to have lost to Barca, but Rudi Garcia's side saw that statistic smashed into pieces on
Tuesday.

And there is no shame in it either. This Barca team claimed the treble of Liga, Copa del Rey and
Champions League titles in 2014-15 and on this evidence it is hard to see any other side stopping
them from becoming the first to win the continental competition for a second consecutive season.

Of the usual suspects, Madrid do not currently seem capable of beating Barca - especially after
losing 4-0 at home to Luis Enrique's side in the Clasico clash on Saturday evening.

That leaves only Bayern Munich and Pep Guardiola's men were torn apart by the Blaugrana - and
Messi - at Camp Nou in the semi-finals of this tournament last season.

And if anything, Barca are getting better. Following a shaky start to the current campaign and
defeats to Athletic Bilbao (in the Spanish Supercopa) Celta Vigo and Sevilla (in La Liga), the
Catalans have gone from strength to strength in the absence of their talisman.
With Messi out, Neymar and Suarez took the reins and scored the goals to ensure Barca not only
kept pace with Madrid in the Primera Division, but overtook them prior to the Clasico at the
Bernabeu on Saturday.

The Argentine started that one on the bench and Barca showed they didn't even need him as they
raced into a 3-0 lead at the Bernabeu before the four-time Ballon d'Or winner made his
comeback in the second half and helped set up the fourth goal.

It was a peerless performance from the Catalans and up there with the greatest matches they have
played against fierce rivals Real in their entire history - and they did it for the most part without
Messi.

But against Roma, the Argentine was back in the groove to remind everyone watching that the
masterclass from the Clasico can be improved. The icing on the cake, Messi made Barca even
more unplayable than they were on Saturday. How to improve perfection? Just add Leo.