MISFIRING MESSI STRUGGLES IN NEW ROLE - Messi Misery

Posted Saturday, February 08, 2014 by Marca.com

One of the biggest worries at Can Barça right now is Messi. The Argentine is a shadow of his former self and he has struggled for form since he returned from injury.

He returned from Argentina after the Christmas holidays in great form and looked to be back at his best, scoring four goals against Getafe over both legs of Barça's last sixteen Spanish Cup tie against the Madrid side.

Since then, very little. 'La Pulga' has only scored one league goal so far this year. The goal, against Valencia at the Camp Nou came from the penalty spot and counted for nothing because Barça ended up losing (3-2).

His goal drought probably has something to do with Tata Martino's decision to change his position. Messi is playing deeper, in more of a passing role than a goalscoring one, although he has found the back of the net whenever he has seen a clear-cut opening.

What stands out at this point in the season is that the Argentine has only scored 19 goals in all competitions. Of those, only nine have come in the league, far short of Cristiano Ronaldo's 22 goals. Even two of his own teammates have scored more than him: Alexis Sánchez (13) and Pedro Rodríguez (12).