Barcelona coach Luis Enrique advises Lionel Messi to avoid injections

Luis Enrique

After reports emerged that Barcelona star forward Lionel Messi had taken pain-killing injections before taking the field for the El Clasico on Saturday, manager Luis Enrique has urged his players to avoid taking the injections.

The 44-year old has said that he doesn't want to divulge details about the medical condition of his boys, but he has given them a warning, with regard to the injections.Barcelona were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Clasico.

"Medical issues are private matters for the player in question”.Enrique said.

"That is for the medics.If he needs an injection that is their decision - it is something for the medics and the player. I don’t know, but he was 100 per cent fit for the game”. the Barcelona manager said.

"My advice is to avoid injections. Some injections can fix you, but you [reporters] know my clear recommendation. He’s got a knock, but he is OK, he is better”. he added.

Worried about overall play

More than the fact that the 27-year-old Argentian didn't get on score-sheet on Saturday night, Enrique said he was more concerned about his side’s overall performance.

"We started with a lot of records and the possibility for more. We are interested in the collective and that’s more important than any individual objective," he said.

Be ready to play at different positions

He also said that his players should be ready to play at different positions, depending on the team's requirement after defender Jeremy Mathieu had said that he was surprised to be positioned as a left-back, with Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano occupying the central positions.

"I’m generally self-critical and I feel responsible for bad results. Mathieu can play as a centre-back or a left-back. If he’s surprised to be at left-back we should pack up and go home." he said.

"I’m not worried about the defensive fragility of the team. We have been below our level and made clear mistakes. We are working to change things. We said there would be tough moments and there will be more. We will have better games too." he added.

He also added that defender Thomas Vermaelen is yet to recover fully.

"I don’t know what you are digging around for. He is in the process of recovering. It is not about taking a magic pill and getting better." he said.