Lionel Messi is raring to compete again, which is excellent news for FC Barcelona fans around the world. The Argentina star has looked physically sharp in training so far and, judging by his words to Sport, his mind is also ready to rumble:
“I am looking forward to the competition again. We know it will be strange, without people in the stands”
“The break may end up benefiting us, but we’ll see if they can start the competitions and then we can check the level we have or can reach when we start”
“I have never doubted the squad we have and I have no doubt that we can win all that remains, but not by playing the way we were playing. Everyone has their own opinion and they are all very respectable. To win the Champions League, perhaps Setién misunderstood or didn’t explain what he wanted to say “
Being confined at home due to the current pandemic will undoubtedly play a factor moving forward, as we discussed in our latest The Barcelona Podcast – Listen Now.
Messi is actually not to worried about the adverse effect that endless weeks of confinement may have on his future performances:
“I have been training at home during confinement and it has served to keep me in shape. I feel very well physically, but it’s not the same as when you train with the coaching staff directing the sessions”
“Psychologically it’s been hard because it’s a very strange situation, but with the support of Antonella and the children, who’ve grown up very fast, this has ended up becoming moments that we have enjoyed together doing things that we can’t do normally”
Having a mentally and physically ready Messi is the best news any Cule would want following these extraordinarily difficult weeks of Coronavirus confinement.
I sincerely hope that, above all, everyone at FC Barcelona remains well and healthy despite the return to La Liga action.
At the same time, however, I do expect the team to do better than they were before the break and get their act together sooner rather than later – and as usual, we all know everything begins with a match-ready Lionel Messi.
Força!
