adminBARCELONA. — FC Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has spoken about his partnership with Neymar and Luis Suarez following their 6-1 drubbing of Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
With Messi making a return to the starting line-up, the Catalan club’s deadly trio ran rampant against Roma to secure qualification for the competition’s round of 16.
The Argentine revealed that he, Neymar and Suarez have a great relationship on and off the field, and noted that all three of them feel a healthy pressure to perform.
“I’m not sure if this is one of the keys to the team’s success, but it is true we get on really well and try to enjoy every game we play,” he said, according to Marca. “We try to do things well, we like to play, we feel a responsibility and we like to win. We get along.”
The Barca talisman also touched on his return to the team and was satisfied with his display in the game against Roma.
“I’m good, improving little by little as is expected after any injury. I’m getting playing time and building up confidence, getting back into shape physically,” he added.
“I’m happy with the 90 minutes I played.”
Messi scored a brace in his team’s thrashing of their Italian opponents, while Suarez also popped up with two goals of his own. Barcelona kept winning during Messi’s injury absence, but the fans were still clearly delighted to have him back on Tuesday night and he rewarded their patience with a signature performance against Roma.
The Argentina forward, making his first start since he damaged a knee at the end of September, played as if he had never been away in the holders’ 6-1 Champions League Group E drubbing of the Italian side at the Nou Camp, netting a double and generally running the show.
The familiar chants of “Messi! Messi! Messi!” rang out around the giant stadium and the beaming smile on his face, which shows he is back enjoying what he does best, is an ominous sign for Barca’s rivals.
The victory, which included a brace from Luis Suarez and goals from Gerard Pique and Adriano, ensured Barca went through to the last 16 as section winners and they have negotiated the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition for a 12th consecutive season.
The demolition of Roma followed hard on the heels of Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing of arch rivals Real Madrid in La Liga, when Messi made his return from injury for the last 30 minutes, and on current form Barca appear unstoppable. — Reuters.
Online Reporter