Messi Absence May be the Tonic that Barca Need
No true Barcelona fan, or even fan of football, likes to see Lionel Messi limp off with an injury. Unfortunately for Culés, this is precisely what occurred at half-time during the 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa.
However, on this occasion the injury may be just the tonic that Bareclona need. It is clear that Messi is not 100% fit at the moment, having missed Argentina's recent 1-1 draw with Italy, and having struggled with injury at the fag end of last season.
With Barcelona hugely reliant on the Argentine genius, there were occasions last season – most notably in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain – where Messi appeared for Barça despite being nowhere near fully fit. This cannot be allowed to continue.
With Neymar in the fold, and with Fábregas accustomed to playing the 'false number nine' role, Barcelona are now well placed to manage their fixture list without the world’s best player. Neymar scored the first goal of his Barcelona career against Atlético, and his prolific displays in the Confederations Cup would suggest that he can step into the void left by Messi.
Barcelona must give Messi the time to mend and recuperate properly, not rush him back again and do further damage. In this respect, this is the best possible time for Messi to get injured before their season starts in earnest.
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