Sporting Gijon manager Abelardo Fernandez said Barcelona are "from another galaxy" after the defending La Liga champs dispatched his side 3-1 with another scintillating display on Wednesday.
Led by two goals from Lionel Messi and one from Luis Suarez, the Catalans cruised at the El Molinon and extended their unbeaten run to 31 straight matches.
The current league leaders sit six points clear of the chasing pack, and, speaking after the game, Arbeloa believes them to be above and beyond all competition this season.
"We tried plugging gaps and breaking quickly but obviously it's not easy," the former Barca man said in quotes that appeared in AS.
"I thought we had a great game and we had a chance to make it 2-2. I'm told there was a penalty, but I haven't seen it. We did our best.
"Barca are from another galaxy. There's a Barca player who costs more than Sporting's entire budget."
Former teammates Abelardo and Luis Enrique reunited in Wednesday's match, with the former showing his appreciation for the current Barca boss..
"We're not in love ... at worst he's a great friend," Abelardo said.
"We usually have a lot of contact. It was nice to get together at El Molinon."