[ad_1]
Juventus face Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday, and many eyes are on the Barca man in distress
Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo has suggested that Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi suffers from a psychological problem that has nothing to do with problems on the pitch.
Pirlo is preparing his team for a meeting with Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, with both teams guaranteed to advance to the round of 16 of the competition.
Barcelona’s positive form in Europe stands in stark contrast to their struggles on the home front, as they are 12 points behind La Liga leaders Atlético de Madrid.
The club’s struggles mirror those of Messi, who has been far from his best performance so far this season, although he has seven goals to his name.
Pirlo doesn’t believe Messi’s talent is on the wane, instead he feels the Argentine superstar’s struggles date back to the offseason, when he was linked to a departure from the club.
“[Messi] He is at a special moment in his life, not in his career, because he had a problem this summer, “Pirlo quotes. Brand as he said at a press conference on Monday. “[It’s about] if he would stay in Barcelona or not.
“But during games he has always shown his worth. More than a soccer ball [issue]He probably has a psychological problem, but I don’t want to go into that as it has nothing to do with us.
“Messi is a phenomenon and he has shown it.”
Juventus follow Barça by three points, and the Catalans have a much higher goal difference, meaning that the Serie A team needs a big win to lead the group.
Pirlo is conscious and with the passage to the next round already assured, he will give his team the green light to go on the attack at the Camp Nou.
“We have nothing to lose,” Pirlo said. “We can play an open game. We are aware of the mistakes we made in the first leg.
“It will be a very difficult game because we will have to suffer, but we will have our opportunities and we must take advantage of them.”
There will be many eyes on Cristiano Ronaldo when he returns to Spain to face his former rival Messi. Pirlo was asked for his opinion on the couple, but he stayed on the fence, saying “they are two phenomena.”
