Barça show prudence with Messi
Lionel Messi wasn't a starter against Real Madrid in the Clasico on Wednesday night, fully highlighting the end of the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo era of the match, yet Barcelona showed incredible prudence with their handling of the 31-year-old.
Ernesto Valverde was heavily maligned for his failure to reach the semi-final of the Champions League in 2018, and the Spanish coach seems determined to put that right this season, with Messi's availability being crucial in that endeavour.
In the first few minutes after being brought off the bench in the Copa del Rey clash, the No. 10 felt his hamstring and whilst it turned out to be only a minor feeling of discomfort, there remains concerns about his fitness with the Champions League return on the horizon.
This presents Valverde with a dilemma as to whether he will select Messi against Athletic Club on Sunday.
A decision will be made based on the Argentine's fitness and the upcoming run of fixtures that the Blaugrana must negotiate in February.
Following the trip to San Mames, Los Cules face Real Valladolid at the Camp Nou before Lyon present a potentially difficult challenge in the Champions League.
These matches have a fairly short break between them too, especially with the upcoming LaLiga Santander match against Sevilla and the back-to-back Clasicos to close the month.
In order for the Catalan giants to progress further in all competitions, Messi will be needed, despite the improved form of Ousmane Dembele prior to his respective injury.
As such, the risk of aggravating Messi's previous injury is simply too great to play the Argentine before he's fully ready.
It was decided that he wasn't in an appropriate condition to start against Los Merengues and as much as that left fans frustrated, it was a decision made for the right reasons.
Valverde could opt to rest the Argentine against Athletic to ensure he's fully recovered by the time Valladolid arrive in Catalonia, but if the match against the Basque club is seen as more challenging, Messi could play and then miss the following home match.
This will then leave him in optimum shape for the three huge matches against Sevilla and the European champions, as well as the Lyon game.
Malcom's presence in the starting line-up at the Camp Nou came as a shock to supporters, but it's a sign of the times at Barcelona.
Luis Suarez has persistent knee problems and must be rested periodically, with it not going unnoticed that the Uruguayan's best form in 2018/19 has come after a period of rest.
Messi will continue to work on his recovery in training before Saturday, although a decision isn't expected to be made on his participation in Bilbao until the last possible moment.
Ernesto Valverde was heavily maligned for his failure to reach the semi-final of the Champions League in 2018, and the Spanish coach seems determined to put that right this season, with Messi's availability being crucial in that endeavour.
In the first few minutes after being brought off the bench in the Copa del Rey clash, the No. 10 felt his hamstring and whilst it turned out to be only a minor feeling of discomfort, there remains concerns about his fitness with the Champions League return on the horizon.
This presents Valverde with a dilemma as to whether he will select Messi against Athletic Club on Sunday.
A decision will be made based on the Argentine's fitness and the upcoming run of fixtures that the Blaugrana must negotiate in February.
Following the trip to San Mames, Los Cules face Real Valladolid at the Camp Nou before Lyon present a potentially difficult challenge in the Champions League.
These matches have a fairly short break between them too, especially with the upcoming LaLiga Santander match against Sevilla and the back-to-back Clasicos to close the month.
In order for the Catalan giants to progress further in all competitions, Messi will be needed, despite the improved form of Ousmane Dembele prior to his respective injury.
As such, the risk of aggravating Messi's previous injury is simply too great to play the Argentine before he's fully ready.
It was decided that he wasn't in an appropriate condition to start against Los Merengues and as much as that left fans frustrated, it was a decision made for the right reasons.
Valverde could opt to rest the Argentine against Athletic to ensure he's fully recovered by the time Valladolid arrive in Catalonia, but if the match against the Basque club is seen as more challenging, Messi could play and then miss the following home match.
This will then leave him in optimum shape for the three huge matches against Sevilla and the European champions, as well as the Lyon game.
Malcom's presence in the starting line-up at the Camp Nou came as a shock to supporters, but it's a sign of the times at Barcelona.
Luis Suarez has persistent knee problems and must be rested periodically, with it not going unnoticed that the Uruguayan's best form in 2018/19 has come after a period of rest.
Messi will continue to work on his recovery in training before Saturday, although a decision isn't expected to be made on his participation in Bilbao until the last possible moment.
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