Tata Martino has admitted he has been pleased with Lionel Messi’s return from injury, and is fully focused on beating Elche this weekend.
The Argentina international has not been named for Sunday’s squad against the promoted side, but the Coach has claimed that the record-breaking forward is doing well and will be back soon.
“He has come back in very good shape, he has had three very good training sessions. We already knew how he had ended the year in training in Argentina,” Martino told a Press conference.
“He needs to get back into the rhythm of training with his team-mates and he needs more work with the ball. We’ll see when he’s ready to play as things progress. He’s in good shape.
“It’ll depend on how Messi feels. He trained on Thursday, yesterday [Friday] he played at the Ministadi, today he trained with the group then he did work alone. As he feels more and more comfortable, he’ll be in better shape to return to the team.
“We know the squad that Barça has. Having a lot of players doesn’t have to be a problem. You have to know how to manage the squad, the players need to know the importance each one has and that 11 players start each match. We also have to understand that La Liga can be lost against Elche as much as it can against Atlético Madrid.
“Messi looks up for it, he looks very good physically, with that killer look in his eyes. If he is in that shape, if he feels good and above all confident we have a player who can bring what everyone knows Leo can bring.”
The tactician is confident his men won’t be affected by the Christmas break, and wants to show that against Elche.
“What we’ve seen has left us satisfied in terms of the shape they’ve come back in. We have everyone except from the odd specific situation. Being able to choose from a rich squad always fuels expectations.
“Elche have been in a long process. Their Coach has got them promoted and they have had good results, especially away.”
“Nothing makes me think our level of play will drop. The players don’t look like they’ve had days off. They look quick and precise, and that makes me optimistic that they can continue where they left off in La Liga, performing well.”
