Argentina international Lionel Messi has said that Barcelona are still recovering after the shock Champions League exit at the hands of Liverpool. The Blaugrana were favourites to reach the final after grabbing a 3-0 advantage at the Camp Nou but they produced a disastrous showing on the road where a 4-0 loss saw the Reds progress in their expense.
Speaking in a rare press conference, Messi said that his team are still recovering from the Champions League setback earlier in the month. He added that the Blaugrana don’t need to apologise for the defeat but rather for the failure to compete during the return leg at Anfield, he said: "We are still recovering from what happened in Liverpool. At least I am.
Everton ace Theo Walcott remains hopeful that the club can sign Andre Gomes and Kurt Zouma on permanent deals next season. The duo joined the Toffees on loan from Barcelona and Chelsea respectively last summer and played an influential part from the starting lineup over the course of the campaign.
Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay believes the Red Devils have a good chance of overturning the 1-0 Champions League quarter-final deficit to Barcelona when they face them at the Camp Nou next week. The Red Devils started the home leg of the quarter-final tie on the backfoot, and this allowed the Blaugrana to open the scoresheet through a Luke Shaw own goal in the 12th minute after some fine game play between Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Thereafter, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side sought to play with a positive mindset which restricted the threat from the Blaugrana, but they failed to test Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in the opposition goal through the entire game. Speaking after the match, McTominay said that the Red Devils probably offered too much respect to the opposition and that eventually cost them in a 1-0 loss.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde claimed that the 4-1 success over Real Betis was a crucial step in the right direction for the Catalan club. Barcelona have moved closer towards the title after a favourable set of results. Apart from watching Barcelona claim a big win over Real Betis, who have been in a recent form throughout the campaign,Valverde also witnessed Atletico Madrid drop three crucial points in the 2-0 loss against Athletic Bilbao. As a result, Barcelona have been able to open up a 10 point advantage at the top with 10 games left in the campaign.
After a mediocre 2017-18 campaign, the club are looking set to win the title for the second consecutive campaign. Barcelona have been unable to win the league title only once since the 2014-15 season. The decline of Real Madrid since the summer has been a major help for Barcelona, who are set to cruise to the title in the remainder of the campaign. Barcelona were able to enjoy this strong result against Real Betis thanks to the brilliance from Lionel Messi, who came in with a hat-trick. Luis Suarez was able to score the other goal for Barcelona just after the hour mark, while Loren Morón came up with a consolation for the home team.
Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde has said that Lionel Messi’s return to the Argentina fold was inevitable despite his recent reluctance to play for the national team. The Blaugrana star made himself unavailable for the South American nation shortly after a disappointing summer World Cup where they were ousted at the round of 16 stage.
Thereafter, there had been concerns whether Messi would have any intention of returning to Argentine duty but he has eventually ended the speculation by making a comeback for the forthcoming international friendlies. When asked on the same, Valverde admitted that there were no surprises and the question would rather have been presented to Lionel Scaloni, who is currently the head coach of Argentina. He said: "It's a question that concerns the Argentine coach. Messi's call, he escapes from my field. That Leo was going to return, we all knew, sooner or later. We see it naturally and I do not care at all, it's no change from other years."
Argentine superstar Lionel Messi has said that Barcelona should remain focused on the title race following their stunning 4-2 comeback triumph over Sevilla on the road. The Blaugrana were 2-1 down at the hands of the Andalusian outfit at the interval, but they managed to turn things around with Messi coming up with the 50th hat-trick of his career.
Following the game, Messi said that the Catalan giants still have a long route to retaining the league title and they need to avoid complacency during the forthcoming run of fixtures, he told BeIN Sports: “No, because there is a long way to go. But it was really important to win because of what it means to win here and to keep our distance ahead of our rivals. Now more than ever, you have to use your head. Every time, it becomes more difficult to win, so we go away happy. We know what this ground is and what players they have. It was a difficult match for us but we were able to move forward.”
Valencia manager Marcelino has hailed the game-changing abilities of Lionel Messi during his side’s 2-2 draw against Barcelona on Sunday. The Mestalla outfit appeared primed for a shock win after taking a 2-0 lead within the 32nd minute but they were thereafter pegged back with Lionel Messi scoring a goal in either half to level the proceedings.
Following the game, Marcelino admitted that he is disappointed after witnessing his team drop points despite holding a 2-0 advantage at one stage. He added that Los Che could have sealed the win with a third goal but the ‘extraordinary’ Messi was on hand to deny them a victory which could have enhanced their top four prospects.
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has backed manager Ernesto Valverde to remain at the helm of things beyond the summer. The Spaniard’s future has recently come into speculation with reports indicating that he could mutually part ways with the Blaugrana when the current season comes to a close.
Amidst this, Pique has spoken glowingly about the progress made under Valverde and highlighted that the players would have no concerns, should the manager prolong his stay with the Catalan giants, he said: “It's a decision that he will make and we will respect because he is the coach. We would be delighted if he decided to continue and he is doing a magnificent job. He brings calmness and he is producing results and showing that his way works.”
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has revealed that he would step down from the beautiful game once he loses the enjoyment from the sport. The central defender started the season in a poor fashion where he was guilty of making several defensive mistakes but of late, he has improved on his performances while getting on the scoresheet more regularly.
Speaking after the recent 5-0 triumph over Levante, Pique said that he is pleased with the improved defensive record from the Blaugrana of late while admitting that he could have started the season better on the personal scale, he said:"We're playing better football recently, conceding less goals and scoring many more. Now, we're thinking about the next game [against Celta Vigo]. It's tough to start like I did in previous seasons, but the day I don't enjoy what I do, I will leave it. We hope to do a lot of great things with this great generation of players."
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has said that Luis Suarez has been playing to the peak of his abilities. The Uruguay international had gone through a six-match spell without finding the scoresheet but he has managed to overturn his fortunes with six goals coming off his previous four appearances.
Out of those, two came during the away triumph at Rayo Vallecano where Barcelona had to come from behind and speaking after that game, Valverde was very pleased with the impact from Suarez, he said: “Luis Suarez has been playing at the top of his ability for a very long time," he told a news conference. Right now, he's scoring goals, more goals than perhaps before. We need him and we're extremely happy with him.”
