Barcelona – Lionel Messi says Barcelona are “angry” after their draw at home to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday but insists they do not depend on him to win.
Barca were held 1-1 by Bilbao at the Camp Nou to make it three games without a victory, with Messi left out of the starting line-up and brought on early in the second half.
It was his shot that Munir El Haddadi turned in for a late equaliser but Oscar de Marcos’ close-range finish before the interval was enough to secure Bilbao a point.
The result means Barcelona head to Wembley to face Tottenham on Wednesday on the back of a difficult week, which also saw them draw at home against Girona and lose to Leganes.
“Anxious? No, the season is very long, we feel angry after the last two results,” Messi told beIN Sports.
“Today I think we created situations to win and we couldn’t do it and we are aware that we have to become stronger defensively and that we cannot score goals in every match.”
Barca coach Ernesto Valverde accepted after the game that leaving Messi out with Spurs in mind had been a risk that had failed to pay off. …read more