Luis Enrique believes Barcelona have shown that they can cope without Lionel Messi
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has praised his side for their performances in recent weeks and has admitted they have improved without Lionel Messi, as per the reports on Goal. The Argentinian’s injury is a huge blow for the Catalan side, but the side have shown they can cope without their ace-man.
The reigning Spanish Champions are a completely different team with the presence of Messi on the pitch and they can be heavily reliant on the Argentina captain as we have seen in the past. The little magician was taken off the pitch with a knee injury during Barca’s match against Las Palmas in September and it was a big blow to lose their star player.
However, the Blaugrana side have coped well since then and have won eight games in all competitions. Luis Suarez and Neymar have both stepped up in the 28-year-old's absence, having contributed to 17 out of 20 goals since the injury.
Luis Enrique and his men are level on points with rivals Real Madrid in the La Liga table with 24 points each and they are set to face each other this month in an exciting El Clasico encounter. However, the Spanish Champions will see a lot of absentees for the match including Messi and Ivan Rakitic, who's the latest player to pick up an injury during the midweek against Bate Borisov in a Champions League game.
However, the Barcelona manager has insisted that his side are a better team when the Argentina captain is fielded on the pitch, but he has not overlooked the team’s impressive performances in recent weeks and has praised them for their attitude.
“That we are dependent on Messi is just something the press keeps on mentioning.” he said in an interview.
“Of course, we are better with Messi, but we have shown that we can cope without him. We have a great team and everybody has stepped up in his absence. Irrespective of who is unavailable, we have a great team both defensively and in attack.”
“The team made a step beyond without Messi. We are more than just Neymar and Suarez. We should also look at how much the defence and midfield contributes.”
He further added: “Messi's recovery is going very well. Of course, I would prefer to have everyone available all the time, but the player's health always comes first. There is nothing worse for an injured player than a recovery setback. Injured players will not be rushed back. They will return when they are.”