Barcelona’s ‘Messidependency’ clear for all to see

Simply put, there are two football teams called FC Barcelona.


One of them — an efficient but often blunt outfit — plays an attractive passing game in midfield but struggles to break down the opposition defence because of a lack of pace and imagination in attack.


The other Barca is, in most people’s book, the best football team in the world, because it possesses a very special forward, one capable of racing onto excellent passes in midfield — and also capable of creating chances out of nowhere through an astonishing capacity to cut inside from the right wing.


That special forward, of course, is called Lionel Messi.


That Barca is one team with Messi and a different team without him has been evident for five years now, since the impish Argentine exploded on the Spanish scene.


This season, Barca’s so-called ‘Messidependency’ has been clearer than ever.


In Barca’s Champions League debut two weeks ago at home to Panathinaikos, Messi was at his rampant best, scoring twice and running the hapless Greek defence ragged in the 5-1 slaughter.


He was again unstoppable away to Atletico Madrid five days later, scoring the first goal and running the Atletico defence into the ground as Barca triumphed 2-1.


But late in the game, when Messi powered away towards goal for the umpteenth time, he was cruelly stopped by an ugly foul from Tomas Ujfalusi. His teammates feared a broken right ankle and were relieved to learn that it was just a heavy sprain.


Without Messi, Barca struggled to beat Sporting Gijon 1-0 at home, despite — as per usual — enjoying around 70 per cent possession. They distinctly lacked a cutting edge, and needed a solitary goal from David Villa to clinch the three points.


Barca also struggled on Saturday — again without Messi — to break down the defence of Athletic Bilbao. Until, that is, local defender Fernando Amorebieta was sent off, which helped the Catalans to win 3-1.


On Monday Barca raised eyebrows across Planet Football by announcing that Messi was in the squad for Wednesday’s clash away to Rubin Kazan, just eight days after his injury in Madrid.


The first person to criticise Barca’s rush to bring back Messi was former idol and coach Joahnn Cruyff, who said that “an injury not properly healed can give you problems throughout your career.”


Andoni Zubizarreta, Barca’s sporting director, was quick to point out that “our aim is to get him (Messi) fit rather than back on the pitch quickly,” but he then hinted that the 23-year-old megastar might come off the subs’ bench in Kazan in the second-half.


Like the dead El Cid on the white horse outside Valencia, the mere presence of Messi in the squad is worrying Kazan.


Cesar Navas, their veteran Spanish defender, said on Monday that “the fact that he is coming makes things more difficult for us....Logically, for us it would be better that he did not play.”