Lionel Messi has admitted that Barcelona cannot win the Champions League with their current form, admitting that they are not as good as they were last season.
In an interview with Catalan TV channel TV3, Messi said: “We know that we cannot win it [the Champions League] this season. We are not playing as well as we did last year and we know it.”
Messi admits that Barcelona cannot win the Champions League with their current form
José Mourinho has labelled Barcelona’s current form as “unacceptable” and a “disaster” after the Blaugrana were comprehensively beaten by Real Madrid in their last outing. Messi, however, has conceded that the Liga champions are not currently fit to win Europe’s premier club competition. “We cannot win the Champions League with our present form,” Messi told reporters. “But we will do our best.” While Barcelona may lack the firepower to dethrone reigning champions Real Madrid, they still have some quality players at their disposal, such as Neymar and Luis Suárez. Messi believes that his team can still compete for silverware this season and is confident that they can improve their performances moving forward.
Messi discusses his future and whether he will leave Barcelona
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Lionel Messi admitted that Barcelona cannot win the Champions League with their current form. “We’re not at our best at the moment,” Messi said. “In order to win the Champions League, we need to improve a lot.”
Messi has been linked with a move away from Barcelona in recent months, with Manchester United and Real Madrid reportedly interested in signing him. However, he denied those rumours, saying he is happy at the club. “I’m very happy here,” Messi said. “I’ve always said that I love this club and that I would never leave.”
Barcelona are currently sixth in La Liga, two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid. They face Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final on Saturday, with a spot in next season’s Champions League also up for grabs.
Messi praises Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo, calling him a “once-in-a-lifetime player”
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi admitted that his side cannot win the Champions League with their current form, praising Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo as a “once-in-a-lifetime player.”
In an interview with Movistar+, Messi said that although Barcelona are still in contention for the trophy, they need to improve if they want to beat Madrid.
“We are still in the race, but we need to improve if we want to beat Madrid,” he said. “Cristiano Ronaldo is a once-in-a-lifetime player and it will be very difficult to stop him from scoring goals.”
Barcelona face Valencia in the Copa Del Rey semifinal on Wednesday
Barcelona will be looking to win their fourth Copa Del Rey semifinal in six years when they take on Valencia at the Mestalla on Wednesday. However, Lionel Messi admitted that Barcelona cannot win the Champions League with their current form. “It’s very clear we can’t win the Champions League this way,” Messi said. “We need to improve our level and find new ways of playing.”
Messi was joined by captain Andres Iniesta in conceding that Barcelona are not where they need to be in order to compete for the Champions League title. “We’re not where we want to be,” Iniesta said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us but we’re aware that anything is possible in football.”
Barcelona will hope that their Copa Del Rey form can carry over into Wednesday’s semifinal against Valencia as they look to reach their first Champions League final since 2015.
Neymar will miss the semifinal after undergoing surgery on his foot last week
One of Barcelona’s most important players, Neymar, will miss the semifinal against Juventus after undergoing surgery on his foot last week. This means that Barcelona will have to rely on their other players a bit more in order to get past the Italian side. Messi admitted that they cannot win the Champions League with their current form and need to improve in order to compete for the title.
Messi opens up about his career and how he has
been able to maintain his brilliance for so long…
Barcelona cannot win the Champions League with their current form, according to Messi. The Argentine superstar has been in sublime form this season, and he admits that the team are not playing up to their standard. “We’re not playing at our best level and this makes it difficult to win titles,” he said. “But we’ll continue fighting until the end. We know that we can still do it.” Messi has already helped his side to a record-breaking run in La Liga, and he is confident that they can keep their title challenge alive in Europe as well. However, he does recognises that things may be tougher than ever against Real Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16. “Real Madrid are a very strong team and they will defend their title vigorously, but we’ll give it our all nevertheless,” he added.