Sergino Dest announced his arrival as a Barcelona player once and for all with two goals in the 6-1 drubbing of Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena.
The 20-year-old netted his first goals for the club since his summer move from Ajax, putting in a performance that Dani Alves would have been proud of.
Dest had already been showing signs of being able to perform at the highest level, but he needed a match like this to really confirm he has a future at the Camp Nou. He’s one of the great beneficiaries of Ronald Koeman‘s change of formation, making the difference against La Real with two goals.
Sergio Busquets enjoyed perhaps his best game of the season for Barcelona in San Sebastian. Anchoring the midfield on his own, he was able to control proceedings and play at his own pace. His pass for Lionel Messi‘s first goal was exceptional.
Messi always turns up. After playing Dest through for his first goal, the Argentine notched twice himself to extend his lead in the Pichichi standings to four goals over Luis Suarez. The best signing Joan Laporta could make would be tying the 33-year-old down beyond this summer.
It was a night to forget for Alex Remiro and his Real Sociedad defence. They looked vulnerable from start to finish and ended up shipping six goals, which isn’t what you want ahead of a Copa del Rey final.
Koeman knows exactly what he’s doing. His formation with three centre-backs has been a revelation for Barcelona. It worked so well against La Real that he had the cushion to ring the changes midway through the second half.
Ousmane Dembele‘s purple patch continued at the Reale Arena. He scored a brilliant goal after initially having another ruled out for offside. On Monday, he’ll join up with France after almost three years in the international wilderness.
