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Lionel Messi always wants to play. But at this stage of his career and at the end of the season, it might be wise for Barcelona to give the Argentinian striker a break, especially after his recent thigh problem.
The five-time winner of the Golden Ball no longer seems to be correct since he suffers from the problem during the 2-2 draw against Valencia at the beginning of February, when He was struggling to regain his pace after three games.
The 31-year-old played in the last 27 minutes against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, before playing for 90 minutes against Athletic Club and Valladolid in La Liga. in Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday.
At that time, he scored only once: a penalty against Valladolid. Since his return, Barcelona has scored no goal and Argentina also missed a kick in the 1-0 win at Camp Nou last weekend. The other two games, at Athletic and Lyon, both ended without a goal.
"He's like he's always been," said Ernesto Valverde, Barca's coach, yesterday at the pre-match conference on the eve of today's trip. in Seville. "For me, he has the same appearance as usual and I have the feeling that our rivals also see him."
Perhaps. But these rivals would surely prefer to face this Messi, with just a penalty scored in his last 297 minutes (four games), against the one who scored 12 in the previous nine games, converting to each of these games.
With two crucial clashes against Clasico in front of Copa del Rey and La Liga next week, Valverde must decide what is best for his talisman. After Sevilla on Saturday, Barca will be in Madrid in the semifinal go of the Cup Wednesday and again in the league Saturday in Santiago Bernabeu.
The return of Lyon to Camp Nou, which is fast approaching on March 13, may pose an unnecessary risk for the Argentines. But it seems likely that the 31-year-old will play from the start against Sevilla.
Luis Suarez has to start in Sevilla after going on the bench against Valladolid. (Reuters)
Luis Suarez is also expected to start today after January's selection, Kevin-Prince Boateng, was completely excluded from the matchday.
Suarez was criticized Tuesday for another bad performance and has not scored a goal in the Champions League since 2015. But Valverde defended the Uruguayan before the Sevilla match.
"He's fine and he's rested last weekend," said the Barca boss. "He guarantees us scoring chances, his case is curious, it's not the first time this has happened, it's a series of streaks, we're talking about the fifth-highest scorer in the club's history and I'm expect him to continue playing well, it's hard to do without him. "
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