It is normal for Barcelona to depend on Messi – Enrique

Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique has said his team’s reliance on Lionel Messi is perfectly normal, when you have “the best player in the world”.

Messi has kept Barca’s title charge alive, with late winners against Leganes and Atletico Madrid in their last two fixtures.

The five-time World Player of the Year, has over a year left on his current deal, with talks ongoing over a new deal.

“It would be naive to think we wouldn’t depend on the best player in the world,” Enrique said on Tuesday.

“Hopefully we can depend on him for many years to come.”

Enrique also spoke about switching from Barca’s traditional possession-based game to a more direct style.

“The key to having possession is not just to have it for the sake of it, but to have possession as a means of reaching a goal, and the goal is winning games,” he added.

“If the opponent sits back and allows long passages of play in possession they don’t leave you spaces to find gaps.

“If they decide to press high and leave space then it doesn’t make sense too not take advantage of that and in two touches overcome the press to score a goal.”

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