Coach Valverde: 'Messi is tired, but still makes opponents afraid'

Barca's coach said that just by having Messi on the field, opposing players and fans feel scared.

Messi is leading the scoring list in La Liga with 11 goals. Photo: Reuters

"It's true that Messi is tired because he plays too much. But I believe that in any situation, he has a way to play well. I also know how his presence makes the opposing players and fans afraid," coach Valverde shared after the 1-1 draw with Atletico.

Messi has been flying non-stop, playing four matches for Barca and the Argentina national team in the past month. Although he did not score in the match against Atletico, the 1987-born striker still received an 8.1 rating from Whoscored, the highest of the two teams.

After the match, Atletico coach Diego Simeone also had compliments for Messi, saying he was a "special player".

"Messi made a very special impression. Only Messi can make the audience believe that something special will happen every time he touches the ball. He still played well against us, not tired because he returned to play in the World Cup qualifiers for Argentina as expected," coach Simeone shared.

In Atletico's away game, Barca had 15 shots, three times more than their opponents. Messi was the one who gave goalkeeper Oblak the most trouble with five shots, including a free kick that hit the post. In addition, the Argentine striker also had a very favorable pass, but Suarez missed.

Neymar moved to PSG, Suarez has not yet found his peak form after injury, new signing Dembele is out for a long time, the burden of pulling Barca forward is more on Messi's shoulders. The Argentine striker has played every minute of the last eight La Liga matches.

According to VNE