Dorothy said it best.  There’s no place like home.  Taking full advantage of a return to the Camp Nou, Barcelona shrugged off doubts over its midweek draw against Valencia, blitzkrieging Atletico Madrid 5-0 with a breathtaking display of attacking football.

Coming into the game, with the “colchoneros” having notched 8 goals in their last two fixtures and Barca presenting the same 3-4-3 system exploited by Valencia just days earlier, cules approached the match with characteristic trepidation.

However, one never knows quite what to expect from Atletico.  Indeed, you would be hard pressed to find a more unpredictable and infuriating team to include in your weekly Quiniela than the “rojiblancos,” capable of astonishing triumphs one week, then snatching defeat from the jaws of victory the next.

As the saying goes, when it rains, it pours.  And on a rain-soaked night in the Catalan capital, Atletico were made to pay for a leaky defense.

Unfazed by Wednesday’s defensive struggles, Guardiola approached the match with a similar 3-4-3 alignment.  Alves returned to his natural position as right back, with Abidal mirroring him on the left flank.  Mascherano became the glue to the back line as the lone center back, while Busquets shaded upfield as defensive midfielder.  He was joined in the midfield by Xavi and Thiago, with Fabregas floating free just behind Barcelona’s preferred attacking trident of Messi-Villa-Pedro.

From the onset, it became clear that Atletico would not try to replicate Valencia’s formula for success.  Barcelona found the spaces necessary to operate their intricate passing game, stringing together plays against a side content to sit back and hit on the counter.  With none of the asphyxiating pressure displayed by Valencia coming from Atletico’s attacking players, Barcelona was able to play the ball out from the back to a settled Xavi, who picked apart the defense with virtuoso ease.

Ill-advised as it was tactically, (one wonders whether they studied film of Levante’s game midweek, mistaking their blaugrana jerseys for Barcelona?) the idea of striking with quick counters down the wings ultimately proved impossible due to the speed and defensive discipline displayed by Dani Alves.

In a match screaming for goals, the first did not have to wait long.  Despite Atletico threatening first, with a long-range effort from Tiago cracking off the crossbar, it was Barcelona who drew first blood.

In the eighth minute, Xavi spotted a darting run by Villa, hitting him on a 25 yard pass over the top, which Villa chested down superbly, before dribbling past Miranda and beating Courtois far-post.

Atoning for his late match miss against Valencia, Villa celebrated with the Camp Nou faithful, in what would be the first of many.

In the 15^th minute, Pedro’s defensive hustle saw him rob a pass in the midfield and start the break.  The ball was laid off and passed quickly up-field to an offside Messi, who wisely dummied the ball, allowing Pedro to collect the pass and lay it back off to Leo, whose shot rebounded off the keeper, off Miranda and into the back of the net.  Own goal.  2-0.

Atletico’s players began shaking their heads, conscious of previous visits to the Camp Nou in recent years.  On the other side, Guardiola continued his perpetual nervous posturing, barking instructions at Mascherano not to drop his guard and let another 2-0 lead slip away.  He needn’t worry.

In the 26^th minute, Messi protagonized one of his definitive highlight reel runs, collecting a short corner, ghosting past one defender with the deftest of touches, before exploding through another two and drilling past Courtois near-post.

The final 15 minutes of the half saw Cesc Fabregas continue to show a perfect understanding with his teammates, combining in triangulations, providing outlets for others and grouping together defensively to short-circuit any potential Atletico attack.

With no signs of life coming from the “colchoneros” the match lost its rhythm for much of the second half.  Barca controlled possession, probing and searching for openings in a display of total dominance.

Busquets gave way to Pique, who made his 2011-2012 La Liga debut to a standing ovation.  But as usual, it was a familiar number 10 who left with the final ovation, as Messi, scoring two goals of astonishing quality in the final 12 minutes completed his third career hat-trick against Atletico Madrid, sealing the 5-0 victory with a thumping strike through the keepers legs.

In a match that saw co-pichichi’s take the field, battling for individual accolades, one left an obvious winner.  “El Tigre” Falcao appeared more a pussycat than anything else, as Messi’s treble brings his tally to 12 goals and 10 assists through 9 fixtures this season.  Not bad for a little flea.

Article written by Barcaloco contributor Anson Woodring.  Follow Anson on Twitter at @ansonwoodring.

Full match highlights:

Barcelona – Atletico Madrid 5-0 Highlights HD 24… by iNfRaS0NiC