The Spanish giants were absolutely torn apart by Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League and had to go through an ordeal that nearly saw their star man leave.
Messi handed in a transfer request and wanted to depart on a free transfer, something he would have been able to do if he told Barcelona by a certain time.
However, he eventually stayed at Camp Nou and in the months that followed, former club president Josep Bartomeu resigned from his role.
With Ronald Koeman now manager, they are still struggling. Barca are 12th in La Liga with just two wins from seven matches, while Messi is far from his best.
There is no doubting the great Argentine’s qualities but under Koeman, he is struggling significantly.
Messi has still scored four goals in 2020/21 but compared to some of the dizzy heights he’s managed in his career to date, it’s a rather understated total.
However, if we told you that all of the 33-year-old’s goals this season were from the penalty spot, few would blame you of accusing him of stat-padding.
After all, that was the criticism thrown Bruno Fernandes’ way last term after his move to Manchester United from Sporting Lisbon.
Of course, the difference in quality between the two is large so it’s a rather unfair assessment to make but you get the point we’re trying to make.
The fact of the matter is, that Messi is struggling to score and in terms of his threat from open play, it has rarely ever been this sparse.
