Lionel Messi Injury: Luis Enrique Comments After Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid

Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has challenged his side to thrive without the injured Lionel Messi in upcoming matches.

The star forward picked up a groin problem in the 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in LaLiga on Wednesday evening, and Barcelona have confirmed he will be absent for three weeks as a result.

Speaking of his stricken talisman, Enrique didn’t deny the team would be worse off, although he suggested they could cope.

“Without Leo we all lose,” he said after the game at the Camp Nou, per Sport. “Football loses. We have to find solutions, knowing that with Messi we’re very strong. We know that we have to win.”

David Ramos/Getty Images

Barca were leading 1-0 in the contest through Rakitic’s header before they lost Sergio Busquets and Messi to injuries in the second period. That allowed Atletico to get a foothold in the game, and they eventually equalised through Angel Correa.

The problems that emerged after Barca lost those two key men will be a concern to Enrique moving forward. Messi’s influence in the final third remains all encompassing, with his dribbling, passing ability and finishing still almost unrivalled anywhere in world football.

However, in Neymar and Luis Suarez, the Blaugrana have two other world-class attackers to call upon, while the likes of Arda Turan and Paco Alcacer, although they aren’t Messi, are proven quality players in Spanish football’s top flight.

Indeed, as noted by Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror, last term Neymar and Suarez both excelled when Messi was injured for a couple of months:

For the games the 29-year-old misses, the attacking axis will likely shift towards the left-hand side, and it was no surprise that when this was the dynamic last term, Neymar enjoyed his best spell of the campaign.

More of the play tends to go through Suarez, too, and while he’s proved himself to be a tremendous team player, he relished the responsibility of being the key cog in the attack at Liverpool.

With these factors considered, goals won’t be difficult for Barca to come by, even without their iconic No. 10.

JOSEP LAGO/Getty Images

What may be difficult is asserting control without Busquets. Ben Hayward of Goal thinks the midfielder may prove to be just as big a loss as Messi:

After all, the pace and purpose with which Barca play is set by Busquets; it was little surprise to see Atletico wrest back some control in the game once he hobbled off. The 28-year-old knits together the entire team, taking the ball off defenders, moving forward and getting attacks going with his sharp passing. 

Although Andre Gomes was bought for big money in the summer and stepped into the position against Atletico, he’s much more comfortable with the ball higher up. As such, finding a way to fill the Busquets-shaped hole in the centre of the pitch will be a major test for the manager.