LUIS ENRIQUE has told old pal Pep Guardiola: “Lionel Messi is back and as good as new.”
Barcelona boss Enrique faces his old Nou Camp team-mate and gaffer when Manchester City arrive for Wednesday’s glitzy Champions League clash.
He said: “Messi is back and in top form. I look at City and they have many options.
“But the rival coach also knows he has a difficult job to stop us with so many variants and tactical possibilities.”
He added: “I’ve not spoken to Pep. This was the perfect way to prepare for the City match. They will be a very attractive opponent.
“They’re progressing continuously and even more so thanks to their coach.
“But I won’t tell you what system I will play.”
Guardiola knows he must now answer the nagging question: How do you solve a problem like Messi-ah?
One man turned Barcelona into the greatest team of our lifetimes — and he is nicknamed Leo, not Pep.
The Argentine genius marked the 12th anniversary since his Barca debut in barnstorming fashion after a three-week absence due to a groin injury.
Within a minute of coming on as sub he capped his side’s rout of La Coruna.
It was October 16, 2004 when Messi, at 17, made his debut against Espanyol — and football changed for ever.
Since then, three different coaches have won the Champions League with Barca. Four coaches have won La Liga.
Messi? Five Fifa Ballons D’Or, four Champions League crowns and eight Ligas crowns. Among dozens of other medals and historic goal records.
Nobody gives us the same emotion as Messi in full flow. Not Cristiano Ronaldo, not Zinedine Zidane, not Ronaldinho. Even the “real” Ronaldo never gave us this feeling of awe.
Messi is unique and now Pep has to stop him if City are to have any chance of topping their group.
They have only faced each other in one year since the boss left in 2012. Messi’s sensational double 18 months ago was decisive as Barca bombed Guardiola’s Bayern Munich out of the Champions League on their way to another Treble.
The fact that Pep is at City is down to Messi. And Messi is where he is it is partly down to his old manager.
Guardiola ditched party-animal Ronaldinho and gave Messi the starring role. Ronnie was partly ousted because he was deemed a bad influence on Messi off the pitch.
Barca’s system evolved but the core idea stayed the same.
As the late Tito Vilanova, who coached under Guardiola and went on to take charge, said: “Systems like 4-3-3, 4-3-2-1 and so on mean nothing. It is just the shape players have at kick off. After, it’s all about movement. The important thing is the central idea and how the players link up in possession. How to press and where to play.”
Worrying for Guardiola is the way Barca performed without Messi against La Coruna.
He spent last week obsessing about finding the “mole” that leaked a dossier including tactical documents, scouting reports and the system he used against Borussia Monchengladbach. They were splashed in a Catalan daily.
All that was forgotten during Saturday’s 90 thrilling minutes.
Even without their top stars — Messi and Andres Iniesta who sat this out — they were Barca at their spectacular best. They exploded when Messi came on.
The world did not end for Barca when Pep left, because Messi stayed.
Defender Gerard Pique said it best last week: “Messi has been so unique, he’s made the difference.
“The day he goes will be like when a dad dies and you have to fly without him. That day will seem like we were left naked.”
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