be thought of as a negative, according to former
defender Patrik Andersson.
Barcelona's reliance on Lionel Messi should not be considered a
bad thing, according to former centre-back Patrik Andersson.
The Liga champions have often been accused of so-called
'Messidependencia' in the past by detractors and they have
looked short of their best during the Argentina international's
recent absence due to a knee injury.
A defeat to Sevilla and stuttering performances against Bayer
Leverkusen and BATE in particular have led to more scrutiny of
the European champions' form without their star forward, but
Andersson believes they should simply be glad to have him as
part of their set-up.
"Barca are not the same without Messi, but I don't think
Messidepenencia is a bad thing, because it means you have
Messi in your team," the former Sweden international, who spent
three years as a player with Barca, told Mundo Deportivo.
"It would be worse if he wasn't there. It's a bit like [Zlatan]
Ibrahimovic with Sweden. They're decisive."
Luis Suarez has emerged as a crucial part of the Barca side in
Messi's absence, having scored the winner against Leverkusen
and all three goals in the 3-1 win over Eibar.
Andersson has enjoyed watching Suarez adapt to life at Camp
Nou but has nonetheless warned that Barca may find it difficult
to defend their treble this season.
"I love how Suarez has adapted to this Barca," the Swede
added. "I like Luis Enrique's team: it's direct. They can repeat
the treble, but it's difficult: when you win everything, what else
is there?
"It happened to Bayern Munich [in 2013-14]. The mental factor
is important. Winning takes a lot out
No comments:
Post a Comment