Luis Enrique said Barcelona’s performance would “go down in history” and described Andrés Iniesta as “world heritage” after his side defeated Real Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabéu.
His opposite number, Rafa Benítez, admitted the defeat “hurts a lot” but insisted now was not the time for recriminations, even as some fans responded to the defeat by waving hankies in protest and calling for the resignation of the club’s president, Florentino Pérez. “The important thing now is to stick together,” he said.
Luis Enrique said: “This victory is glorious, especially in the way that it came about. We were the better team and the win is down to us. There is a long way to go but it is always important to win here. This has been a very complete performance. It will go down in history as a memorable game for Barcelona.”
At the heart of it was Iniesta, whom Luis Enrique described as “patrimonio de la humanidad”, the phrase applied to world heritage, a wonder to be enjoyed by everyone, property of the planet. “He is unique,” the Barcelona manager said. “He has magic and he has eyes in the back of his neck.”
Barcelona’s demolition of Madrid came largely without Leo Messi, who started a clásico on the bench for the first time in 11 years and a day. Luis Suárez, Neymar and Iniesta gave Barcelona a 3-0 lead before Messi made an appearance with half an hour to go and helped create the fourth for Suárez. It was the first time he had played since 26 September, when he suffered a torn knee ligament against Las Palmas.
The Barcelona manager has seen his team go from a point behind Madrid to six points ahead over the past 11 weeks without Messi. Asked if he now had a problem finding a place in the team for Messi, he responded sarcastically: “That’s a bloody massive problem.”
Benítez’s problems are far more serious and the full impact of this defeat may not yet be clear. The coach was already under pressure and the chants for the president to resign cannot have helped. Asked whether he was happy with the surprisingly attacking team he had selected, one which appeared out of character and then found itself outplayed by Barcelona, Benítez said: “I can’t say it well.”
He added: “In situations like this, you all take some of the blame.”
