After making the group stage of the UEFA Champions League, Villarreal had the tough task of opening their 2011-2012 La Liga campaign at defending champions Barcelona. It would have been great if they won or even tied, but they were absolutely humbled.

They started off the game very slowly as Barcelona simply dominated with possession and were able to pass the ball the way they desired to do so. At the 25^th minute, after many chances and hard work, Barca finally found their opener with Alcantara finishing from close range after a quick passing session with his teammates.

Cesc Fabregas added their second right at the brink of half time. It was 2-0, but should have been an even bigger deficit.

Sanchez added their third before Messi scored twice by the 75^th minute to put Villarreal out of their misery to make it 5-0 on the night.

The problem with Villarreal’s performance is simply that they respected Barca way too much. Instead of playing tough soccer, they decided to ball watch. Even as a mutual fan, it was absolutely demoralizing to watch one team toy with another.

Both sides are in Spain’s top flight and in the Champions League and yet one team is miles ahead of the other success wise. In Spain, Barcelona is one of two teams that is dominant, with the other being Real Madrid.

Villarreal couldn’t put together a single attack where there was a guaranteed chance to score. They were very afraid of Barca and it was obvious by their play. If they are to play well in the group stage of the Champions League, they need to be fearless in order to stand a chance of advancing out of the group.

They most like will finish within the top 4-6 of the domestic league but they could do even better if they play the way they really can; with confidence.

Giuseppe Rossi is by far the most consistent striker they have and with him, they stand a chance in beating teams that stand in their way. Of course, Barcelona is an exception because almost everyone on their team is just as capable of scoring as Rossi is.

Borja Valero really needs to step up his playmaking as he is the key man in charge of setting up his teammates to score. He has the help of Rogerio Cani who can also make good plays and even score himself.

Barcelona will always be better than Villarreal for a few years to come; however, it is still possible for them to cause an upset against the Catalan giants. In order to do that, every single player on the field including the keeper needs to playa at 100% throughout the entire 90 minutes of game time.

It was an awful start to their domestic campaign but will have the chance to redeem themselves next weekend when they host Sevilla at their beloved El Madrigal stadium. Sevilla won 2-1 against big-spending Malaga by a score of 2-1 at home in the opener but will have a tough task against the submarines.

For those who want to witness a competitive Spanish league match, tune into this one next Saturday at 2:00 p.m. It should provide us with goals, a winner, and a “back-to-normal” performance by Villarreal.