Messi was only a substitute in Barcelona's clash with Villarreal, rested as the season enters its crunch period, but was called upon to spark a dramatic late comeback at El Madrigal. Messi has scored 42 goals in 39 games this season, and also added another 19 assists for the Catalans. As such, claims of 'Messidependence' continue to follow Barcelona, something which Valverde chose to address after the eight-goal thriller. "At the beginning we could even have made it 3-0 but they are a dangerous team and the game went out of control. We are not surprised and we will find this difficulty [against Villarreal] in all the remaining matches."

Source: Daily Mirror April 03, 2019 12:45 UTC