Lionel Messi is the last man standing of the old guard at Camp Nou as everyone around him has fizzled out at Barcelona.
Barcelona are a shadow of their former selves. Lionel Messi is not. He is a freak of nature who continues to prove his detractors wrong.
But age is catching up with him. Too much is on his shoulders and he has been carrying La Blaugrana for far too long.
Luis Suarez used to help him out but he too has been marred by injuries. Messi does not have any support and it stemmed from the day Xavi and Andres Iniesta had departed Camp Nou.
Juan Carlos Heredia certainly believes it. The Argentine forward was in Catalonia long before Messi arrived and knows the club down to its roots.
Heredia believes Barcelona are reliant on Messi to deliver and without him, they cannot play.
“Messi was never the same again after they took Xavi and Iniesta from his side, I don’t see him play with that same dynamic anymore,” Marca quoted Heredia.
“Messi today has to set up a game on his own, he has to score goals and take free kicks, that’s a lot.”
“He carries the responsibility of a great European club all on his shoulders, if Messi isn’t there then Barcelona can’t play.”
Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed that the sacked Quique Setien will be replaced by Ronald Koeman. Heredia does not believe the Dutch tactician is the right choice. He favors Xavi’s return at the club due to his familiarity with the club.
“I would have bet on Xavi at this moment because he knows the club better,” the retired striker added.
“Barcelona aren’t in a position where they can see if a coach like Koeman is going to get results or not.”
“They can’t afford to wait to see if Koeman is going to be a good coach, when they hired Setien I had no idea who he was.”
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