Barcelona humiliates Real Madrid to signal return of form for club in recovery

It wasn't long ago that Barcelona was a club in crisis.

Its new-look team was struggling without Lionel Messi and years of financial mismanagement looked to threaten the club's position at the top of European football.

But the team had started to show promise since club icon Xavi took up the reins in November, and Sunday was the biggest show of strength yet as it thrashed fierce rival Real Madrid 4-0 in the La Liga leaders' own stadium.