Lionel Messi is the spark that makes Barcelona tick. But when it comes to Argentina, the wizard just cannot seem to find his magic wand.
The magician had a wonderful 2018-19 season with Barcelona racking up 51 goals and 22 assists for the La Liga outfit which was more than enough to secure the domestic crown.
But the Catalans once again faltered on the Champions League stage and it was primarily because Jurgen Klopp found a way to stop Lionel Messi from playing his brand of football.
At Anfield, Messi was stopped from getting onto the ball and without his brilliance, the Barcelona boys looked like a bunch of headless chickens.
And it seems like next season, the Catalans might be even more mediocre thanks to their over-reliance on the Argentine wizard.
Last summer, Lionel Messi had a poor run at the World Cup with Argentina but somehow he was able to overcome that and eventually focus on his Barcelona career.
But with the way things are shaping up this summer in the Copa America, Lionel Messi might just take a significant amount of time to recover.
Argentina have failed to win either of their first two matches on in the Copa America and right now they sit bottom of the table with just a single point. In their first game, they suffered a shock 2-0 loss to Colombia and against Paraguay, they could only manage a 1-1 draw.
The La Albiceleste are on the verge of crashing out of the tournament and Lionel Messi has not urged his team members to remain positive.
“We have to think positively and keep our confidence,” the Barcelona forward said.
“We need to improve and arrive in the best shape possible for the next match … and we have to win. It would crazy if we couldn’t progress from the group given that there are practically three teams that go through,
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy playing in a Copa America, we’re searching for a team, for a performance,”
Honestly, it will be really hard for Argentina to pull themselves back especially with such a mediocre side and unless the football Gods are not willing to intervene, Lionel Messi and co will not go too far in this competition.
And this would once again mean heartbreak for the Barcelona man who has been constantly failing to guide his national team to victory.
According to the Daily Mail, the forward has just ONE tournament victory with Argentina ever since he chose to reverse his retirement decision back in 2016.
Now some people believe that crashing out of the Copa America will create even more pressure on the player and this would seriously impact his form at Barcelona next season.
The Catalan giants might have had a really impressive run in the La Liga but they have been constantly struggling in Europe for the past couple of seasons.
During the 2018-19 campaign, they looked all set to enter the final after beating Liverpool in the first leg. But then things went horribly wrong for the at Anfield.
So naturally, next season will be a really important one for the whole team including Ernesto Valverde. And if Lionel Messi chooses to bring his national team failures at Camp Nou come August then the Catalans will be in real big trouble.
