By Paul Giblin

    MADRID, Oct 8. (Xinhua) -- Last Saturday was a night to remember in the Camp Nou Stadium as Barcelona went goal crazy against Atletico Madrid, a team playing in the UEFA Champions League and previously considered possible title contenders.

    Nobody now believes Atletico Madrid can win the Spanish League. They will play some great games and they will continue to beat some teams 4-0 as they have already done against Malaga and Recreativo Huelva.

    However, they lack to take on Real Madrid and Barca. Their central defenders are good, though they were dreadful against Barca. But they need better full backs and lack a creative central midfielder.

    The 6-1 defeat in the Camp Nou and a 1-0 setback at home to Sevilla show they are not quite good enough and Real Madrid could confirm this when they visit the Vicente Calderon on October 18.

    Barcelona, meanwhile have done well to pick up the pieces after a doubtful start to the season.

    Leo Messi is back and brilliant: you know what he is going to do, but you never know when he will do it. He was magnificent against Atletico and his goal from a free kick proves he thinks faster than other players. He's also filed out a bit without losing any pace.

    Guardiola is very much his own man. Barca spent a lot of money this summer, but their biggest signings - Keita, Alves and Caceres- did not start against Atletico Madrid. Henry was also on the bench, while youngster Sergi Busquets, who worked with Guardiola in the Barca B team, started.

    Busquets did enough to show he has a bright future ahead of him and he has been called into the Spain Under-21 squad.

    So Guardiola is showing personality at the Camp Nou, working his players hard and things are looking positive.

    Elsewhere in Spain, Real Madrid still look solid despite dropping points at home to Espanyol and it appears that they will be title contenders again. Especially if Ruud Van Nistelrooy maintains his form in front of goal and Iker Casillas is at his best between the posts.

    Valencia also look efficient and know how to win ugly, even when striker David Villa is not at his best, while Sevilla look very powerful, especially at home.

    Add to that a Villarreal team that is playing just as well as last season, when they finished second and the title race in Spain looks far more open than it did 12 months ago.