Barcelona boss, Ernesto Valverde has broken down why superstar Lionel Messi had an underwhelming performance during the first leg of the UCL quarter-final against Manchester United last week.
Despite the victory, Messi had a very quiet game as he was left with minimal impact after effective marking from Chris Smalling and Scott McTominay.
A nasty but proper challenge from Smalling on Messi in the first 45 minutes left Lionel with a bloody nose and blue eye, an injury that Valverde believes was responsible for his captain’s poor showing.
Ernesto said, “I don’t think he is worried about the same thing happening again,”
“He is fine, he is perfectly fine after the blow he suffered. He was okay a couple of days after it.
“But he was a little bit stunned at the time, although he’s okay now for this game and ready to go.”
Messi has played 41 matches across all competitions so far this season, scoring 43 goals and assisting a further 21 strikes.
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