The opening weekend was a relatively low-key one by La Liga standards, with some fine team performances but few outstanding individual ones. However, joint-top of the ratings on EuroFantasyLeague.com for the weekend and Barcelona’s outstanding player was Lionel Messi, as the Catalans defeated Elche 3-0 to give new Coach Luis Enrique a winning start.
Messi had just three shots on target throughout the 90 minutes on Sunday and buried two of them with his left foot, the first just before half-time and the second shortly after the hour mark.
It was a fine start by the Argentine, who was hampered by injury, appeared jaded at times and notched just 28 goals in La Liga last season – a more than adequate haul for a mere mortal but a disappointment following his 50 and 45 in the previous two Primera campaigns.
Messi’s record with Barcelona speaks for itself. His 245 goals in 278 games in La Liga is a phenomenal achievement alongside a further 68 strikes in 89 Champions League appearances. Yet for all his brilliance, Messi began to attract the doubters last season, both in Spain and beyond.
An international goals tally of 42 in 93 appearances for Argentina is, again, respectable enough but for a player whose record and reputation will always precede him, Messi is generally regarded as having under-achieved on the international stage.
Messi surprisingly picked up the Golden Ball from a slightly embarrassed Sepp Blatter after a largely unremarkable World Cup in Brazil – scoring against Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria, but firing blanks against Belgium, the Netherlands and, ultimately, Germany. Appearing fatigued after a long and ultimately unsuccessful season, he faded as the tournament progressed.
His performance on Sunday, albeit against no better than average opposition, demonstrated that he is well on the way back towards his very best form. Bringing Sergio Busquets’ interception under control with a single, he swept the ball majestically into the bottom corner with his left foot for Barca’s first goal.
The maestro’s second of the night, Barca’s third, was a gem as Messi attacked down the right, evaded the advances of four Elche defenders to bring the ball onto left foot before driving it low into the bottom corner once again.
Much of the pre-season speculation around Camp Nou had been around how Messi would fare alongside Neymar and Luis Suarez in what should, on paper at least, be the most potent attack in La Liga. Instead, with Neymar injured and Suarez suspended, Messi linked well with La Masia graduates El Haddadi Munir and Rafinha Alcantara.
Former Barcelona B starlet Munir, at just 18-years-old, perfectly complemented the reinvigorated Messi, who also linked well with the former Sevilla playmaker Ivan Rakitic, making his competitive debut for the Catalans. With Andres Iniesta featuring while Xavi Hernandez remained an unused substitute, the signs were that Messi will happily mesh with his new teammates under Enrique.
The season is young and Messi thrives on sustained success over a long season. Enrique will expect nothing less from him and will surely have been pleased that one of the world’s very best players is back on form.
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