Eibar vs Barcelona: 5 key Talking Points

#4 Messi looked irritable in the sky blue for Barcelona

Messi was largely kept in check by the well-drilled side from Eibar.

We wonder if it was the decapacitating colour that Barcelona were donning or the lack of ball time, that made 'The Best Player in the World' look indifferent to the cause. Messi had a fairly disappointing game for the Catalans as Eibar managed to keep the genius under wraps.

Messi got a brief moment on the ball in the 16th minute and that was enough.

He played a ball in behind the defence for the onrushing Luis Suarez. The ball had recovery (which only the likes of Ronnie O' Sullivan can conjure up with his cue), as it straightened out once it had outdone the defence, perfectly into the path of the Uruguayan, who went past the keeper and passed the ball into an open net.

The Argentine came terribly close to scoring as he struck the post from an almost impossible angle.

14 - Lionel Messi has hit woodwork 14 times in La Liga this season, more than any other player in a whole season of this competition (at least 2003/2004). Wood pic.twitter.com/V5OviUDdfu

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) February 17, 2018

He had a few more moments in the match in which he looked more like his usual self, but failed to find the back of the net. Goalless in the last 3 outings in the league, Barcelona will be hoping that their talisman can get back to his best before their round of 16 tie against Chelsea in the Champions League.