Messi Believes Pandemic Stoppage Could Help Barcelona

Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi believes the long break from LaLiga action caused by the coronavirus pandemic could eventually be a blessing in disguise for his Catalan side.

Recall that Spainish top leagues has been suspended since March 12, when LaLiga halted action as the country recorded higher number of casualties from the COVID-19 outbreak.

But the Barcelona ace have come out to say that the return of strike partner Luis Suárez from injury is surely one, and could serve as an advantage to Barcelona's quest of winning the Laliga once again.

Messi told daily sports on Friday “Maybe this stoppage will end up benefiting us, but we will have to see if we are restarting the competitions and then we will know the truth.”

He further added that another boost for the Blaugrana clubside could be the long rest the players have taken from the game.

When played was stopped in March, Barcelona was leading the LaLiga by two points over Real Madrid and was also in the round-of-16 of the Champions League.

However, it's been a tepid season for Barcelona even after Ernesto Valverde was replaced with Spanish manager, Quique Setién whose emphasis on ball possession and attacking was different from Valverde’s more balanced approach. The time off could help the squad and staff work out their differences.

Messi further said “Playing like we did in the matches before play was stopped, we would never win the Champions League,” Messi said. “I have no doubts about my teammates and that we can win it all, but not in the way we had been playing.”

Meanwhile, the Spanish league says it wants to return to playing matches on June 12, but that will depend on the public health situation. As of now, Spain is allowing small gatherings of only up to 10 people in some regions.