4 Reasons why Lionel Messi’s first season as a Barcelona captain will go down as an unsuccessful one
Lionel Messi’s first season as a full-time Barcelona captain has ended in the most bizarre fashion as the Catalan giants succumbed to a 2-1 defeat against Valencia in the final of Copa del Rey.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner played an influential role in Barcelona’s doddle towards their 26th LaLiga crown as the Catalan giants lifted the domestic title for the 8th time in the last 11 years. With 36 goals in the league, the Argentine wizard not only won the Pichichi award, but also secured his 6th European Golden Shoe in the process.
However, in Europe’s elite competition, Lionel Messi has once again failed to stir Barcelona to their 6th Champions League victory. Barcelona bowed out of the competition after blowing off a 3-goal advantage from the first leg and handed Liverpool their second Champions League final appearance in successive years.
So, without further ado, here are the four solid reasons why Lionel Messi’s season with Barcelona will go down as an unsuccessful one.
#4 Failure to complete the domestic double
Barcelona have been dominating their land in the recent past, as they won two domestic double in the last three years. However, this time on, the Blaugranas did secure their league crown but failed in the final hurdle of Copa del Rey. Messi and Co. came second best in the final against Valencia, as they were humbled 2-1 in the final of Copa del Rey.
Although, the Barcelona skipper did manage to find the back of the net on the night, he failed as a leader to uplift the morale of his teammates as they all looked tired mentally, especially after the disastrous Anfield outing.
Messi himself looked a little bit lost and gave away position numerous times, which certainly didn’t help his colleagues. Despite having 12 shots on the night, the mercurial Argentine was unsuccessful to mastermind a comeback after going 2-0 down in the first half.
Messi has to bear the responsibilities not only because he is an important part of the Barcelona spine, but also because of the fact that he is the spiritual leader of this team on and off the field.