Lionel Messi’s failure to have any impact against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night and coach Gerardo Martino’s inability to do anything about it dominated the inquest into Barcelona’s dismal Champions League exit.
'He ran only one mile more than goalkeeper Pinto' ran one headline as post-match statistics revealed the Argentine had covered 4.2 miles during the game - half that of Atletico matchwinner Koke.
'We weren’t really interested in Leo having a lot of participation in the game' were the words that will come back to haunt Martino after the 1-0 defeat. He had been asked why Messi saw so little of the ball in Atletico's win. 'We really only wanted him to have one-on-one opportunities down the right-hand side,' said the coach effectively ripping up the Pep Guardiola blueprint that has made Messi Barca’s fulcrum over the last six years.
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