Valencia boss Marcelino admitted that the only moment he did not have to be concerned about Lionel Messi was when the Argentinian was receiving treatment on the sidelines.
The visitors were unable to hold a 2-0 advantage at Camp Nou on Sunday night, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winning restoring parity through a penalty and a wonderful goal from outside the box.
Worryingly – with Barca’s Copa del Rey clash against Real Madrid looming – Messi received treatment for a thigh injury late on in the game,
And though Marcelino is ultimately satisfied with gaining a point at Camp Nou up againt Messi, he rued what could have been.
“Whenever you are winning 2-0 and then draw you can be somewhat disappointed, but to win here you have to play spectacularly and we did do that but just didn’t have the luck,” Marcelino said according to Marca.
“We were very close to winning and went from almost going 3-1 up to the score being 2-2 in the space of a minute.
“The team is obviously growing because now we’re capable of scoring goals after we had lacked confidence and cutting edge in the final third.
“There was just one moment with Messi when I didn’t suffer and that was when he was on the sidelines!
“He is so decisive and shapes the whole team, he’s an extraordinary footballer.”
