- Lionel Messi believes that Barcelona will have to do better to win La Liga this season, according to the Spanish media.
- The Barcelona captain was seen having an animated talk with his defenders during a cooling break against Leganes.
Lionel Messi is one of the most passionate football players on the planet. The Argentina captain sets high standards for himself and the players around him and tends to make his feelings known when his Barcelona teammates do not live up to his expectations.
According to several reports in the Spanish media, Lionel Messi is not particularly thrilled with his teammates at Barcelona. The Argentine talisman was seen remonstrating at his defensive colleagues during a cooling break in Barcelona’s 4-0 victory over Mallorca.
While the incident involving Lionel Messi’s discussion with his teammates has been blown out of proportion by the Spanish media, Barcelona’s defence has not covered itself in glory this past season. It will not come as a surprise to many if Lionel Messi is indeed unsure of Barcelona’s defensive prowess.
The reports by the Spanish media seem blown out of proportion. Lionel Messi is, after all, the captain of the Barcelona side and reserves the right to demand quality and effort from his teammates.
Lionel Messi’s teammates at Barcelona may not be able to reach his preposterously high levels but the Argentine clearly does not take kindly to underwhelming performances.
With the cooling break becoming a fixture in La Liga matches, Lionel Messi is currently using the opportunity to recalibrate his Barcelona side and ensure that improvements are made over the course of every match.
Barcelona was struggling against Leganes in the opening stages and would have been a goal down if it was not for an excellent goal-line clearance by Clement Lenglet. Lionel Messi was furious at the half-hour mark and gave his Barcelona teammates a piece of his mind.
Barcelona kicked into gear towards the end of the first half and Ansu Fati broke the deadlock with an exceptional shot that rifled into the net. Barcelona dominated the second half with Lionel Messi’s magic finishing the job for the Catalans.
Earlier in the game, Sergi Roberto was caught stranded in the wrong half of the pitch as Leganes broke with pace and shattered Barcelona’s defensive line. The only Barcelona defender fast enough to make amends was French centre-back Clement Lenglet.
Barcelona left-back Junior Firpo lost his marker only a few minutes later and the error resulted in a shot grazing past the post. Leganes’ lack of accuracy saved Barcelona on the day and Lionel Messi’s side will not be as lucky against better sides in La Liga.
According to the Spanish media, Lionel Messi has offered to help Quique Setien improve the side’s defensive setup. While the Blaugrana has managed two clean sheets since the return of La Liga, several gaping holes still remain in Barcelona’s defensive line.
Barcelona has a nightmarish tun of fixtures in the coming weeks. The Catalans have to face Sevilla, Celta Vigo, Atheltic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, and Villarreal in a space of 14 days, and Lionel Messi believes that Barcelona will have to show dramatic improvement to defeat these sides.
Real Madrid, in comparison, has much easier fixtures in the coming weeks and will continue to pile the pressure on Barcelona. The absence of Frenkie de Jong for the Sevilla fixture will not help Barcelona’s cause and put additional pressure on Lionel Messi.
Despite two easy wins in the first two games, things are not quite as rosy as they seem for the Blaugrana. The Catalans can only hope that Lionel Messi remains at his inspirational best.
