A visibly frustrated Lionel Messi expressed his displeasure at the performances of three Barcelona players after their 2-0 defeat to Malaga.
Barcelona’s embarrassing defeat against Malaga in their recent La Liga match robbed them off precious points to level with Real Madrid in the title race.
According to a Don Balon report, Messi did not appreciate the way Luis Enrique rotated the team. The Barcelona star made it clear he did not think Andre Gomes, Jeremy Mathieu and Denis Suarez put in their full effort.
The Argentina international felt the struggling trio were not doing much for the team, and that they were helping the opposition team instead.
Barcelona have successfully defended the La Liga trophy for the last two years, and with their chances were jeopardised this season owing to poor performances, it has angered the fans and Messi alike.
Based on the Spanish club’s recent performances, it would seem as if the team becomes a tad bit weaker when Luis Enrique rotates the team. On the flip side, their arch-rivals Real Madrid appear to get stronger when they shift from playing their normal starting XI.
In fact, after this game, several reports suggest that Jeremy Mathieu might be ending his journey with Barcelona by the end of this summer. Denis Suarez has also failed to make any sort of impact and solidify a position in the team. Gomes has also been struggling a lot since his summer move from Valencia.
After losing out on the Champions League trophy to Real Madrid last year, Barcelona would definitely not want a repeat of the same this year as well. With the highly-anticipated Champions League quarter-final coming up, Barcelona will be preparing to face-off against Juventus.
Both Messi and the fans would not like another upset in a match as crucial as that, which just might lead Enrique to act upon his star striker’s opinion.
With the title race and the race for the Champions League trophy getting increasingly heated up, will Luis Enrique act upon this and axe Gomes, Mathieu and Dennis Suarez from starting in important games?
