With a 5-1 thrashing of Real Madrid, Barcelona have completed a set of fixtures so difficult that some fans had October down as a “month from hell.” Valverde’s men, even at times without Lionel Messi, have gone through these matches in scintillating fashion.
It started with an away trip to face Tottenham Hotspur on the 3rd, then another away match, this time against Valencia in La Liga 4 days later. Next came league-leading Sevilla on the 20th, and then Inter Milan on the 24th, before el clásico on the 28th.