David Ramos/Getty ImagesAdriano deserved his goal vs. Celta Vigo but Barca fans will be dismayed to see him join many teammates on the injury list.

Barcelona managed a valuable 3-1 win against Celta Vigo at the Camp Nou in La Liga's Matchday 10. Adriano, David Villa and Jordi Alba scored the goals for the Blaugranas, who enjoyed 67 percent of possession and attempted 12 shots, seven of them on target. Best of all, the result helps Tito Vilanova's team stay at the top of La Liga for yet another week.

Player Ratings (0-10; 10=best)

Victor Valdes, 7 -- Came to the rescue with a tremendous one-on-one save after 18 minutes, an extremely valuable stop at the time as it could have tipped the game in the visitors' favor. La Pantera was also close to saving the second but ended up being beaten by a tame finish after a loose ball.

Adriano, 7 -- Scored after a clever run in which he zoomed across the Celta defense. Unfortunately, the polyvalent Brazilian picked up a thigh injury that will rule him out for at least three weeks. Terrible news as the Barcelona medical room continues to be packed with defenders and adds to Vilanova's ongoing difficulties to field a reliable back line.

Javier Mascherano, 5 -- His overall performance lacked consistency until Marc Bartra joined him after the halftime break. Once again, Masch proved he's not the quickest of defenders after failing to pick up his marker in what became Celta's only goal of the match. Improved as the game went on though, making a couple of vital challenges.

Jordi Alba, 7 -- Happy to bomb forward on the left flank all game long but highly committed to tracking back whenever Barcelona were dispossessed. Scored the third Blaugrana goal after a quick combination with Villa that left him in a clear offside position the referee failed to spot. Watching him play like that makes one wonder why he ever had to leave La Masia to prove his worth elsewhere. Without a doubt one of the best signings in recent Blaugrana history.

Sergio Busquets, 6 -- Had the challenging job of alternating between central defender and defensive midfielder at different points of the match, caused by Vilanova's need to vary his initial formation as the game developed. Performed to a decent standard but as we found out last season, the "Catalan Octopus" is just too slow to chase strikers as the last man.

Andres Iniesta, 8 -- Continued his immaculate season with yet another generous display of creativity, applying constant pressure in Celta's final third. Not surprisingly, he assisted Villa for Barca's second as a result of his constant mobility and desire to get involved.

Xavi Hernandez, 6 -- Efficient in possession and controlled the game comfortably in his usual commanding manner. Enabled and conducted most of the Blaugrana attacks -- par for the course.

Cesc Fabregas, 6 -- Combined well in midfield and always looked to play the ball into space. Tito Vilanova decided to sacrifice him for tactical reasons at halftime so that the team's back line could be strengthened.

David Villa, 8 -- Man Of The Match -- Preferred to Alexis Sanchez in the starting lineup, not at all surprising if we analyse their recent form. Scored Barcelona's second with a subtle shot after an electric combination with Iniesta from the left wing and assisted Alba with a classy backheel pass. With him on the pitch, I actually feel goals can come from virtually everywhere in the Blaugrana attack: "El Guaje" always adds extra sharpness and a more incisive dimension to the team.

Lionel Messi, 6 -- The Argentinean genius didn't perform to his insanely high standard, clearly affected by the hype surrounding the highly celebrated birth of baby Thiago. "La Pulga" was guilty of perhaps trying a bit too hard at times. The dying moments of the match brought a rare sight with Leo down on the floor after picking up a nasty knock. The fact that he ended the game strolling patiently upfront with a visibly swollen knee definitely raises the question as to why he needs to play every second of every match.

Pedro, 7 -- Helped the team stretch the Celta defense but was also involved in Barcelona's creative phases, dropping into central midfield on several occasions. Showed a clear desire to constantly create spaces. Assisted Adriano for the first Blaugrana goal.

Substitutes:

Dani Alves, 5 -- Substituted Adriano after 38 minutes. While he attempted several crosses, most of them were either deflected or inaccurate. I must admit his performances so far this season have failed to impress. Let’s hope he can pick up his fitness sooner rather than later and come back to his former self before much longer.

Marc Bartra, 7 -- Substituted Cesc after 45 minutes. Got into the correct positions and showed enough pace to keep up with the opposition's forwards throughout. I am still wondering why he wasn't chosen to start the game given the numerous absences in central defense.

Alexis Sanchez, 6 -- Substituted Villa after 77 minutes. A spirited display but as Villa has been suffering recently, it is hard to show what you are capable of in such a short space of time.

Coach:

Tito Vilanova, 6 -- Started the match with a 3-1-2-4 formation, an experiment that didn't fully work; The three defenders found themselves running back into position far too often, chasing after the speedy Gallego strikers numerous times. Fully aware that such formation allowed the opposition far too much space, he decided to introduce Bartra at halftime thus fixing the obvious problem.

While the team as whole lacked urgency during the second half, you can't ignore the blatant truth: After winning 28 out of 30 possible points so far, Tito Vilanova has led the club to the best start to a La Liga season in history.

The league title may have slipped last year, but these players and coaches are determined to show the world that they are hungrier than ever. While the road ahead is long and surely full of surprises, this victory brings the Blaugranas one step closer to glory.

Have your say

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Blaugrana Reaction courtesy of Fcbarcelona.com

Tito Vilanova: “Besides the record what's important are the points that we’ve won. It’s not easy to break these kinds of records seeing that you have to beat teams like Celta. This record is a demonstration of the desire these players have to win. Adriano's injury is troubling. We’ll see if there’s a possibility for Piqué and Puyol to join the team. It’s possible that Piqué will be fit for the match against Celtic. We’re very pleased that Villa making a good return to competitive play and that he’s as eager as ever after such a serious injury."

Sergio Busquets: “Records are a part of history and we know how difficult it is to achieve them. It was a bit difficult at first and Celta created a couple of chances, but in the second half we had a lot more control and they weren’t as dangerous. I’m a midfielder but I can play in the centre defender role as well. It’s about helping the team, always. The injuries are the saddest thing about our start to the season, I really hope all the injured players can return to competitive play soon."

Andres Iniesta: "The fact that we broke the record says a lot about the team. We’re very eager to do a good job and I’m sure the team will improve. I’m sure that we’ll have difficult moments this season, but we have to take advantage of this situation. It’s almost impossible for Messi to have a bad game. He had a couple of chances today but he was unlucky in front of goal.”

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