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Ronald Koeman has decided to let Lionel Messi rest for Barcelona’s game against Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday, but his counterpart Mircea Lucescu believes the Blaugrana are a strong team even without their captain on the pitch.
The Romanian coach stressed that a starting eleven without Messi will be more compact in defense although the Argentine can take the team to another level when he starts.
“Barcelona is Barcelona,” Lucescu told reporters. “Of course, the presence of Messi gives them an advantage in terms of skill and attack.
“But his absence will make them play with a better defensive attitude. We want to win tomorrow. For us, victory is very important.”
Lucescu went on to emphasize that rumors about Messi’s future have affected Barcelona, which is a new team with a new coach on the bench and therefore needs time to curdle.
“Barcelona is one of the best teams in the world,” Lucescu added. “They are not going through their best moment. The Messi case creates an atmosphere of nervousness in the club.”
“New strategy and new connections between players. Everything needs time.”
When asked if Dynamo Kiev can emulate Atlético de Madrid, who beat Barcelona last Saturday at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, Lucescu highlighted the obvious differences between the Ukrainian team and Los Rojiblancos.
“They are different teams,” said Lucescu. “Atlético paid 120 million euros for a player. That says a lot about the level of their squad.
“Diego Siemone has been there for seven years. That is a lot. It is very possible that this season he will win LaLiga Santander.”
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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