Messi holds the key
The team will look to the Argentinian to have a special game
The relationship between the players and the directors is looking strained after Busquets' comments
Twenty-four hours before the return leg and against the prevailing mood, Valverde tried yesterday to build-up Barça’s chances: “Admit that the opposition is better? Of course, not?” But the first leg suggested that the gap to Madrid is bigger than it was at the start of the summer. Tonight’s game therefore gives Barça the chance to snap out of their inertia and change the mood at the Camp Nou.
To do so, they will once again look to Messi. The iconic image of him holding his shirt up at the Camp Nou is still in the minds of the fans. In that game, he scored a last gasp winner, it was one of the highlights of the season. An instant piece of history from a season that ended in disappointment.
Today, we’ll see what mood Barça have travelled to the Bernabéu in. Yesterday, Busquets hit out at Pep Segura over his comments on Piqué. And the signing of Paulinho has not gone down well with the fans, in part because it seems to have pushed Sergi Samper towards the exit door. The Brazilian’s arrival will also limit the minutes Sergi Roberto – another La Masia product – will get and the player lacks the refinement of Verratti, who was the summer’s major target.
The general feeling is that the club is rudderless and its commitment to La Masia is just a posture. Against this backdrop, the rumour that Agustí Benedito will push for a vote of confidence in September grows. However, within the club there is a belief that there is a lot of room for improvement and the arrival of players like Coutinho and Dembélé will change the mood.
Before that though, Barça must face Real Madrid. The Madrid club will be without Cristiano Ronaldo – suspended for five games – but Modric will return. Barça know their chances rely on Messi having another one of his special nights.
