Ernesto Valverde Talks Golden Shoe, Lionel Messi Substitution Against Alaves

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has explained his thought process behind bringing Lionel Messi off the bench in the team's 2-0 win over Alaves on Tuesday, with the forward leading the way in the race for the Golden Shoe awarded to the top scorer in European football. 

The Blaugrana went ahead after two goals in quick succession in the second period, with Carles Alena netting six minutes before Luis Suarez's penalty on the hour-mark.

Despite being in a comfortable position in the contest, Valverde decided to bring on Messi for the final 30 minutes of the game. Afterwards, the coach said the thinking behind the change was solely to ensure Barcelona came through the game with three points, per Marca:

"The idea was that he'd play because the result wasn't clear when it was goalless at half-time.

"The suggestion that it was about the Golden Shoe ... well, we focus on winning. It was time for him to get some rest today and to come out in the second half. It's good for players to stay involved and active. You can't put them away in a case and then just bring them out for one match."

The win for Barcelona at Mendizorroza saw them take another step towards the La Liga title, and if results go their way this week, they may be crowned champions before this weekend's encounter with Levante:

While they've struggled without their No. 10 in the past, Barcelona had few issues in the clash with Alaves. They put together a flowing move to open the scoring, with Alena applying the finishing touch, per Eleven Sports (UK only):

With La Liga effectively sewn up, Barcelona's focus is set to turn to the UEFA Champions League in the remaining weeks of the season.

On May 1 they will face Liverpool at the Camp Nou in the first leg of their semi-final clash, with the return leg at Anfield six days later. For Valverde, the priority at this point is making sure the team's key players are in top condition for those matches.

None are as important as Messi, who has been the standout player in world football this season. As Valverde referenced, at the moment the forward is leading the race for the Golden Shoe ahead of Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kylian Mbappe; the Barcelona man has 33 league goals, three more than the young Frenchman:

Although some Barcelona supporters would have winced whenever Messi went into a challenge on Tuesday, Samuel Marsden of ESPN FC understands the thinking behind giving him minutes:

Expect more changes from the Blaugrana on Saturday in La Liga, especially if Atletico fail to keep the title race going in midweek. 

Messi has scored 45 times in all competitions for the Blaugrana this season and has been the driving force behind their La Liga success. If he can carry Barcelona past Liverpool and to Champions League glory, it'll be remembered as one of the best campaigns of his extraordinary career.