Lionel Messi Not Pleased With Barcelona Despite Two Straight Wins Since Return

The Catalans have picked up where they left off as they notched back-to-back victories since returning to action following the long hiatus. Barcelona's continuous display of brilliance has enabled the club to keep its edge at the peak of La Liga, but it does not seem enough to please Lionel Messi.

Barca's star captain is reportedly unhappy with his team despite their recent string of wins. According to Diario GOL states, the Argentine was particularly irate at his squad’s defensive unit and its lapses, which he believes would take a toll on them when they start playing against much tougher teams.

At one instance during Saturday’s match against Mallorca, Messi was seen huddling up Barca’s defensive crew wherein he appeared to serve them an earful following a series of mistakes committed on the field. Everyone seemed to listen, and Barcelona went on to secure to win. But the 32-year-old still demands better execution as they head over to Sevilla on Friday to face to Los Palanganas, who are expected to give Barcelona a more rugged challenge compared to their last two assignments.

“Next, the Blaugrana visit the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, one of the toughest venues in La Liga for an away side,” Atharva Khadilkar of Everything Barca wrote. “The Andalusians are chasing a European spot and will come out on all guns blazing after a day’s rest and a rather harsh result against Levante, where an own goal on the last-minute saw them drop two massive points.”

The same report pointed out the specific faults from the Blaugrana’s play, which were perhaps a manifestation of expected rust after coming off a long break.

“Defensively, Barca did look solid in their first match against Mallorca but were at the end of some lapses against Leganes. In fact, the Madrid-based minnows could have scored once or twice in the opening half as a result of Junior Firpo and Sergi Roberto being caught napping on an occasion each, allowing Javier Aguirre’s side to attack freely,” Khadilkar added.

While Messi could be critical to his teammates on the defensive end, the Argentine reportedly is also expecting more scoring production from Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez, and Martin Braithwaite. As Barcelona holds a precarious two-point cushion over Real Madrid in the league race, Quique Setién and his boys are expected to shift to an even higher gear approaching the more crucial stages of the season.