Barcelona delivered a hammer blow in the La Liga title race with a 4-0 thrashing of hosts Real Madrid in El Clasico on Saturday. Toronto Raptors Store . A Luis Suarez double and further goals from Neymar and Andres Iniesta completed the rout to put Barcelona six points clear at the top of La Liga. Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona - report Read our match report from the Bernabeu Here, we pick out five talking points from the match... Who needs Messi when you have Neymar and Suarez? Suarez has been a key figure for Barcelona in Messis absence Much of the build up to El Clasico centred on whether Lionel Messi would be fit enough to go head-to-head with his great rival Cristiano Ronaldo. In the end, the Barcelona ace started on the bench. But Barcelonas brilliance is built on more than just one man. They have won seven of the nine games he has missed through injury and attacking duo Luis Suarez and Neymar stepped up and delivered once again.The pair scored 18 goals during Messis absence and, with him watching from the dugout, added three more to their tally against Real Madrid. Henrys Clasico verdict Real Madrid failed to produce the right level of commitment or desire, says Thierry Henry Since signing from Liverpool, Suarez has thrived in the heat of El Clasico battles, scoring three goals and registering one assist in his three match-ups with Real Madrid. His opener after 11 minutes concluded a brilliant 24-pass team move. No goal has been scored in La Liga this season after more passes.Of course, Messi will play a crucial part if Barcelona are to win trophies this season. But they have shown over a number of weeks - and against their biggest rivals - that they have a team packed with top quality players who are also able to make the difference.Pressure builds on Benitez Real Madrid boss Rafael Benitez is under pressure The white hankies were being waved and boos were ringing around the Bernabeu at full-time. He may have only been in charge for 12 games but Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez is most definitely under pressure.Real only suffered their first defeat in all competitions last time out against Sevilla. But their style of play under Benitez has come in for criticism and a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of their biggest rivals will amplify the concerns of his critics.However, Sky Sports Thierry Henry believes it would be unfair to solely blame Benitez for the defeat. It was a collective thing, he said. At the end of the day hes going to maybe take the blame. They ultimately failed as a team today. They didnt play well.Real fail to match Barcas desireReals performance was the particular focus for Henry at both half-time and full-time. The former Barcelona striker was critical of the hosts application and commitment to stopping Barcelona.This type of game is not about the tactics, he said. At one point you need to bring the desire and the right commitment on the field and the right intensity. It wasnt there at all. You cant play a Clasico like that. You saw a team on one side. On the other side you saw a group of players playing for themselves and not being a team at the moment. Thierry Henry People are going to talk about Benitez and the tactics. The tactics come along when both teams desire and commitment is there and the game is tight. Then the boss will have to trigger one, two or three things to see who is going to be the best boss. But if your team goes out there without the right desire or commitment it becomes really difficult for the coach.Im not trying to find any excuses for Benitez but first and foremost you need to bring the desire on the field. You saw a team today on one side. On the other side you saw a group of players playing for themselves and not being a team at the moment.Reals main men fail to fire Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to make an impact against Barca Cristiano Ronaldo could easily have made his way onto the scoresheet had it not been for two brilliant stops from Claudio Bravo. However, the Real Madrid ace was unable to influence proceedings as he would have liked. He only managed two shots at goal in the entire game and produced just one pass leading to a shooting opportunity.But, just as Messi isnt Barcelonas only attacking threat, Ronaldo was severely lacking in support from Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez. The trio only managed to work Bravo four times between them.The performance of the latter three players raises questions about whether they were physically ready for the intensity of a Clasico, given they have all been sidelined with injury recently.Since the start of October Real Madrid have played seven games. Of the 1890 minutes the trio could have racked up, theyve managed just 309. Gareth Bale is the only one to have played a full 90 minutes in that time. He did it just once, in Reals 3-2 defeat to Sevilla before the international break. In short, most of Reals key attackers were undercooked. Barca favourites for the title Neymar celebrates with Barca team-mate Andres Iniesta Barcelonas victory moves them six points clear of Real at the top of La Liga. It feels like a pivotal moment in the title race. Had Real won on Saturday they could have hit the summit. Instead they seem a long way off, with star names struggling and an under-fire manager.While Henry feels the result is not absolutely decisive in the title race he does believe the impact of the result will be significant for both teams.The perception of La Liga sometimes in other countries is its only Barcelona and Real Madrid, he said. I can assure you its not.Barca lost and lost well against Celta Vigo away from home and they lost to Sevilla. They know going away from home and sometimes at home, games are difficult. Its not a title decider but it will play a lot on the mind of Madrid and give Barcelona great momentum. Also See: Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona - report Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona - as it happened Patrick McCaw Jersey . Almost 40 years to the day, the two teams will meet again, this time at BC Place, to celebrate the past and try to earn important points for the present. Stanley Johnson Jersey . And fellow Leaf, Jake Gardiner, hiking in Whistler. https://www.cheapraptors.com/423a-jorge-garbajosa-jersey-raptors.html . - Novak Djokovic beat John Isner 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-1 on Saturday to reach the final of the BNP Paribas Open, where hell resume his longtime rivalry with Roger Federer.Norman, OK (SportsNetwork.com) - The historic Battle of Bedlam is on tap for Saturday afternoon at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, as the 18th- ranked Oklahoma Sooners play host to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the Big 12 Conference regular-season finale. At just 5-6 overall (3-5 Big 12), Oklahoma State is in danger of missing out on bowl season for the first time since 2005. After an excellent 5-1 start to the season, the Cowboys have dropped five straight games, most recently falling at nationally-ranked Baylor on Nov. 22, 49-28. Despite his teams struggles, coach Mike Gundy remains optimistic about his teams progress. Weve had a number of young players who have continued to improve, Gundy said. Unfortunately, we probably played out best game weve played in six weeks last night against what could have very well been the best team on our schedule this year. Oklahoma had sky-high expectations coming into the season as the No. 4 team in the country, but it has fallen well short of its lofty goals by dropping out of the Big 12 race with three losses this season to all three teams ahead of it in the standings - TCU (37-33), Kansas State (31-30) and Baylor (48-14). Since their most recent setback the Sooners have righted the ship with two straight wins to get reintroduced to the polls, most recently downing Kansas at home on Nov. 22, 44-7. (Oklahoma State is) one of the teams that are better than the record indicates, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. They always do a good job with balance, run and pass. Gundys teams are always that way. Its been a one-sided all-time series, with Oklahoma holding to a 83-18-7 advantage, including a 39-9-2 showing in Norman. Oklahoma State doesnt fit in very well in the high-scoring Big 12, as it ranks in the bottom half of the league in terms of both scoring (26.5 ppg) and yardage (369.7 ypg). Daxx Garman (.549 completions, 2,041 yards, 12 TDs, 12 INTs) missed the Baylor game with a concussion and is questionable to return on Saturday. In Garmans absence the last time out, Mason Rudolph had an uneven performance, throwing for 281 yards and two touchdowns but on just 13-of-25 passing with a pair of interceptions. The Cowboys have run more rushing plays this season (431) than passing (339), but they have only picked up 3.5 yards per carry for 137.5 ypg. Desmond Roland (579 yards, eight TDs) and Tyreek Hill (496 yards, TD) earn the most work. Jonas Valanciunas Jersey. David Glidden (39 receptions, 549 yards, two TDs) and Brandon Sheperd (27 yards, 483 yards, two TDs) anchor a modest receiving corps. The Cowboys defense has not done a good job picking up the slack for an underachieving offense, as they allow 31.7 ppg and 438.5 ypg. Emmanuel Ogbah is one of the best pass rushers in the league with 16.5 TFL and 11.0 sacks, while Josh Furman (12.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks) has found some success opposite him. Jordan Sterns and Ryan Simmons are tied for the team lead in tackles with 85. Ramon Richards has picked off three passes. The Sooners possess a potent offense, as they rack up 39.3 ppg and 485.6 ypg, and the unit is riding high after a record-setting performance by its freshman tailback the last time out. Just a week after Wisconsins Melvin Gordon set a single-game FBS rushing record, Semaje Perine topped it with a historic performance of his own against Kansas by running for 427 yards and five touchdowns. The guy is just so exceptional in everything that he does, Stoops said. We were thinking about resting him, and then someone said he only needs 35 more yards, and you know, thats just too close not to do it, and there was too much time left in the game. Perines emergence late in the season has left him with 1,428 yards and 19 touchdowns on 214 carries (6.7 ypc). Perine and the running game were leaned on heavily in the Kansas win with quarterback Trevor Knight (2,197 passing yards, 340 rushing yards, 19 TDs, nine INTs) out with a concussion. Even with a bye week in between, Knight will not be ready to play on Saturday, leaving another start for Cody Thomas, whos completed just 20-of-49 passes this season for 222 yards, a touchdown and four picks, although his rushing numbers (149 yards, TD) have been stellar. Thomas presence under center has hindered the production of the receivers, especially Sterling Shepard (59 receptions, 957 yards, five TDs), whos bidding for an All-Conference selection at years end. The Sooners defense has not lived up to the expectations of a Stoops-led unit, but they have nonetheless played admirably this season in allowing only 23.5 ppg while forcing 18 turnovers. Zack Sanchez has a large say in the turnover battle with five interceptions. Dominique Alexander is the leading tackler with 93 stops and Eric Striker generates a strong pass rush with 13.5 TFL and 7.0 sacks. ' ' '