Luis Enrique Discusses Lionel Messi's Penalty Misses, Arda Turan and More

Scoring from the 12-yard spot may not be considered among Lionel Messi's strengths, but the Barcelona captain won't lose his place as penalty-taker, according to manager Luis Enrique, who has no news on Arda Turan's registration controversy.

Messi missed out on a hat-trick in Sunday's 4-1 win over Levante after failing to convert a 74th-minute spot-kick, but his helmsman dashed any notion the Argentine is set to lose penalty duties, per Spanish newspaper Marca: "Messi is going to keep taking them. We have every faith in him. He's the best."

A quick commendation of his superstar is the swiftest way for Enrique to rally support just as critics have surfaced to point out one particularly human trait in the otherwise inhuman forward's arsenal.

The performance against Levante was hardly a bust, either, as Enrique made sure to praise Messi's other contributions in his post-match comments, per Dermot Corrigan of ESPN FC:

There may be a sense Messi has earned the right to miss a chance here and there after leading the Blaugrana to four Champions League titles, seven La Liga crowns and many other titles over the past decade.

The Mirror's Ed Malyon provides further details of Messi's miss ratio from the penalty spot, although his 418 other goals for the club may mean that statistic stands as a secondary thought to some:

Speaking to the media Tuesday, Enrique also opted not to delve into further detail regarding the appeal Barca launched with FIFA to see summer signing Turan receive early clearance to play this season.

As things stand, Barcelona's transfer embargo prevents them from registering any new players, and Enrique stated the ball is in FIFA's court regarding whether they'll be permitted to play Turan, per Marca's report.

"We won't comment on the matter until we receive news from FIFA that we can register a player," Enrique said. "Arda and Aleix Vidal's situations are both strange and complicated. They've done nothing wrong, and yet they are being punished."

Riccardo De Luca/Associated Press

The reigning European champions are in a rush to boost their ranks after playmaking starlet Rafinha sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury that will keep him sidelined deep into the 2015-16 season.

The official Barcelona website confirmed Tuesday that Rafinha had undergone surgery on his knee and is expected to be absent for a period of six months, potentially bringing his campaign to an early close.

Francisco Seco/Associated Press

That setback, coupled with the summer departure of Pedro to Chelsea, means Enrique finds himself short on creative options and would undoubtedly like to bring the likes of Turan or Aleix Vidal into the fold.

Barcelona's ban was handed out in relation to the club breaching rules regarding the signing of players under 18 years of age, per BBC Sport, and ESPN's Dale Johnson can't see FIFA reversing their decision:

The club has enjoyed an unbeaten start to the 2015-16 season so far but is at risk of being exposed for a lack of depth unless it's able to properly replace those stars ruled out through injury.

The performances this season haven't always been as glamorous as last term, but Enrique made sure to note his maiden term at the club's helm also didn't start well before going on to claim a European and domestic treble, per Javier Giraldo of Spanish newspaper Sport:

"

This time last year you all wanted to kill me. There are better and worse performance, we can’t be the same all the time. We know what we want to do. It's no different to other seasons and I'm happy with the team’s performance. We could be doing better, but we could also be doing worse.

"

Barcelona are the only team in Spain's top flight to have won all four opening matches and currently sit two points clear of Real Madrid at the summit of the standings.

Enrique knows only too well the Camp Nou crowd demand perfection of their club at all times, but a string of storylines on and off the pitch are currently making the manager's job a difficult one.