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The Argentine responded to his coach’s exhortation to improve with a fine display to defeat Ferencvaros at the Camp Nou
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman was happy with what he saw from Lionel Messi on Tuesday, when the Argentine sent his team on the road to a dominant victory in the Champions League spectacle.
Koeman made headlines after Saturday’s La Liga loss to Getafe with some cautious criticism of his captain, who four days earlier had played 90 minutes at the height of the Bolivian capital, La Paz, while helping Argentina to victory in the World Cup qualifier.
“Perhaps, right now, Messi’s performances could be better,” Koeman told reporters ahead of the Champions League clash against Ferencvaros.
“But he’s happy, he’s working hard and he wants to be the captain of this team.
“I don’t have a single complaint. He has also been unlucky. He hit the post and in another game that will be a goal. I have no doubts about his performance and we will see him return to his best level in the next matches, I am sure ”.
Messi responded by opening the scoring from the penalty spot in Tuesday’s 5-1 win over the Hungarians, while 17-year-old couple Ansu Fati and Pedri also grabbed the headlines by finding the net for the Blaugrana at Camp Nou.
The Argentine contributed an assist to Ousmane Dembélé’s late goal to round out the win and posed a constant threat throughout the 90 minutes, prompting Koeman to praise his performance.
“If he plays like he did tonight, I will have no complaints about Leo,” the Dutchman told reporters after the final whistle.
“He worked hard, he scored from the penalty spot but I used to score penalties too. If he doesn’t score but gives two or three assists we can’t ask for more.
“We have people in front playing well and that’s the best for a coach. I think we have shown that we have great players in front.
“With a great Leo, with two assists, and that’s why we leave here happy. There is competition and not only for the right wing. We can play differently with Leo on the wing or on 10. There are great players in attack. “
Messi and Barça will return to action on Saturday, when they host Real Madrid in the first Clásico of the 2020-21 season.
