Tata Martino was critical of Barcelona’s first half performance, despite going on to beat Levante 4-1 in the Copa del Rey.
The Blaugrana came away with a resounding first leg win, thanks in large part to a hat-trick from Cristian Tello.
But the Coach thought that they could have killed off the game sooner than they did.
“We should have scored sooner,” he told a Press conference. “We lacked depth – We needed a bit more ball circulation and mobility.
“It seemed as if it was really difficult to score a goal.”
That tactician then remarked on Lionel Messi’s impact when he came on in the second half.
“He helped us a lot, he knew how to take advantage of the space – the plays that led to the goals were all very similar.
“He’s prepared himself to come back to Barça in the best way possible. He’s not preparing for the World Cup, it’s not possible to do that.
“What Messi has done is take advantage of his time off the pitch to recover and to prepare himself physically.”
Martino then went on to comment on their rotation policy.
“Some players can show their quality in 90 minutes and others in 15. Today Tello played 90 minutes, he’s been more explosive these last couple of weeks. This is great for Barça and also for him – he’s gaining confidence.”