MADRID, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona came through a tough test away to Eibar on Saturday and although they hardly did so with flying colors, Ernesto Valverde's side took three points in one of the toughest games they are likely to face between now and the end of the season. Barca look tired and here are some more things we learned in Spain's matchday 24.
1. Messi and Suarez papering over some cracks
Leo Messi didn't score in Barca's 2-0 win against Eibar but he was decisive once again with a hand in both of his side's goals; the first of which came after his excellent pass for Suarez to open the scoring in the 16th minute.
Messi has given 11 assists to his partner in attack this campaign and that is helping to keep Barca afloat. There is no doubt that playing two games a week since the turn of the year has stretched Barca's squad and even though Saturday's win came after a long-awaited midweek break, players such as Ivan Rakitic look tired.
The problem for Valverde is that there is only one other week without a midweek fixture between now and the next international break at the end of March and the coach must be hoping nothing happens to his two key players.
2. Atletico stick to the script
If there was any extra pressure on Atletico Madrid following Barca's win they certainly didn't show it as they stuck to the same script from recent matches with a 2-0 win at home to Athletic Club Bilbao.
Athletic's ultra-defensive line-up kept Atletico at bay for over an hour, but once Kevin Gameiro had opened the scoring there was never any doubt about the result. Indeed Athletic failed to muster a single shot on target in the entire 90 minutes.
Next up for Atletico is a trip to play Sevilla, a home match against Leganes and then a visit to the Camp Nou, which could well decide the title.
3. Asensio gives Zidane options
Things were looking bleak for Real Madrid before against Paris Saint Germain on Wednesday before Zinedine Zidane opted to introduce Marco Asensio into the game and the young forward responded with two assists as his side finally won the game 3-1.
That earned Asensio a place in Madrid's starting 11 away to Betis on Sunday night and he once again captured the headlines with two goals in a thrilling 5-3 away win to beg the question: should Asensio be playing more?
So far Asensio has six league goals in less than 1,100 minutes football and many believe that rather than putting faith in the 'BBC'. Bale, Benzema and Cristiano, Zidane should change those letters to 'ABC'... Although whether the 'B' should be Bale or Benzema is another debate.
4. Relegation battle increasingly looks like 3 out of 4
Malaga, Deportivo la Coruna and Las Palmas all lost their games in matchday 24 to remain rooted in the relegation zone with 13, 17 and 18 points respectively. Meanwhile Levante remain fourth from bottom with just two points more than Las Palmas following their defeat away to Real Sociedad, which means they have just one win in 18 matches.
In contrast Alaves' home win against Deportivo lifted them 10 clear of the drop zone, while Espanyol's point against Villarreal means the bottom four are now seven points adrift of the next club in the table.
Las Palmas and Deportivo are both on their third coach of the season, while Levante's Juan Muniz is surely on borrowed time as the battle to avoid the drop looks increasingly like a question of three out of four.
