Football clubs coming from over two months of forced vacation might be worried it would be hard to compete again. However, Barcelona captain Lionel Messi seemed to welcome the break caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Argentine said there are downsides that can be blamed on the lockdown, but he is inclined to believe there are benefits to gain as well.
The Catalans, for instance, will have the opportunity to assess how things are going so far for the organization. Messi said the most important thing for the team right now is to use the game stoppage to take stock of its standing and address the issues encountered on the pitch.
"Maybe this stoppage will end up benefiting us, but let's see if the competitions we're in can get started again first. Then we will be able to see the level we are at of how far we can go once we get started again," ESPN reported the Barca superstar as saying.
Like the Premier League, La Liga is set to resume on June 12, and Messi said he is confident of going back to the field as he did not stop training while the season was suspended.
"I was training at home during the lockdown and I think that helped me keep in shape, although training at home is not the same as being at the training ground with the coaching staff taking sessions," shared the Argentina captain.
He admitted though that training with the team was better as working alone "was tough psychologically for everyone because it's a strange situation."
Also, Messi clarified that he remains convinced of Barcelona's level of competitiveness, indicating that his team is always ready to play and win.
"I never doubted the squad we have and I don't doubt we can win everything that's left, just not playing as we were playing," Barca skipper said, explaining that the gripes he aired earlier were the manner Barcelona played in the games before the season was halted.
After losing to Real Madrid in the last El Clasico battle, Messi complained that with the way his squad operated on the pitch, there is little chance of scoring a Champions League win.
But for now, the club is focused on beefing up the roster to prepare for the grueling matches to come. Speculations are rife Barcelona will want to bring Lautaro Martinez over from Inter Milan in the summer, and clearly, the 22-year-old striker has won the admiration of Messi.
"Lautaro is an impressive striker, especially because I think he is a very complete forward. He is strong, he dribbles well, he scores goals, he knows how to protect the ball," Goal reported Messi as saying.
The Argentine, however, was quick to add that he is clueless on the details of Barcelona's efforts to sign the Inter ace, saying, "I don't know very well if there were or are negotiations right now."
