Messi on Hazard replacing Ronaldo, being benched & why Barcelona love playing at the Bernabeu

Prior to the crucial meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Wednesday, Lionel Messi has commented on a number of problems raised in the football world, including why Barcelona appear to be playing better against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The top two La Liga teams will face off at Camp Nou Stadium at midweek. Barcelona top the table only because of the difference in goals, as the two teams have accumulated 35 points from the first 16 laps of the 2019/20 season.

Barcelona were held to a 2:2 draw at Anoeta by Real Sociedadin in the last match, while Real Madrid lost the chance to take the table top when stopped 1-1 by Valencia at Mestalla.

Spain’s reigning champion, Barcelona, ??won this showdown against Real Madrid 5-1 last season, achieving their first home win against Los Blancos in their last four attempts.

In contrast, Barcelona record four consecutive wins in their last games at the Santiago Bernabeu. Messi has admitted that the Barcelona squad manages to find more space when playing as a guest.

“When we play at the Bernabeu, we find a lot more space. They attack us more because they have this obligation as a home team and people punish them for it,” Messi told Marcan.

“At Camp Nou, they play differently, stick more defensively and are closer to each other and hit us counter-attacking because they have very fast players in the attacking unit.”

“At the Bernabeu, we play 90 minutes. Here the game becomes more closed and complicated.”

One man who in the past had a major impact on El Clasico’s encounters was Cristiano Ronaldo, who spent nine years at Real Madrid before joining Juventus in the summer of 2018.

Transfer Eden Hazard was expected to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement in the Real Madrid squad this summer, but he has so far failed to meet the criteria set for him by fans.

“Hazard has many qualities. “He is a different player who can break the balance of defenders, but I think he is different from Cristiano, he has other characteristics.”

“It’s very difficult to replace Cristiano, but Hazard is a great player.”

Messi is among a number of more experienced players in the Barcelona squad who are being fired in several matches by coach Ernesto Valverde, as is the case with Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piquen’s Ivan Rakitic.

The six-time Golden Ball winner continued this interview by discussing how Ernesto Valverde selects the first line-up, evaluating him as necessary to keep all players motivated.

“In fact, I think we are all very important. There are some times when it is someone else’s turn to play and you have to admit it in the best way possible, be aware that everyone in the dressing room should feel important because we need everyone to be motivated to to achieve our goals.”