Lionel Messi says Barcelona play more on the counter now than under Pep Guardiola

After the departure of Pep Guardiola, Barcelona went through a spell where they changed managers a couple of times and were struggling to find a rhythm and style of play that reflected upon the coach’s ideology.

But after Luis Enrique took over at the club, the Catalans have once again solidified their style of play and are very certain in the way they attack and defend. There is a huge contrast in the way Pep’s team used to play and the style imposed by the current Catalan boss.

The combination of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar has also made a huge difference in the style of play, and they seem to be getting the ball up the pitch much quicker than they used to under Pep.

Messi who seems to have benefitted the most since the MSN trio became the forefront of the attack. He spoke about how Barcelona have changed under Enrique when compared to the current Manchester City boss.

Speaking to Sun Sport he said, “We have a system, but every coach introduces changes and uses it in their own way,There haven't been a lot [of changes] since Guardiola, but with Luis Enrique we are more aggressive, attacking with pace and with Pep we played less on the counter-attack.”

‘Aguero is one of the best’ – Messi

Barcelona play Manchester City in the UEFA Champions group stage tomorrow at the Etihad. City need the win to try and consolidate second spot in the group. If the Catalans manage a win they are virtually through to the next round.

Guardiola surprisingly benched Aguero for the game against Barcelona at the Camp Nou a couple of weeks back, when they were demolished 4-0 by a rampant Barca side. Pep will not make the same mistake this time around and Messi knows how good his international teammate is.

“City are a great team, they always have been, and now with Guardiola, they have grown even more thanks to his work, Kun is an easy-going person, he is one of the best strikers in the world - like Luis."Both are decisive players, and they can decide a game.”

The two south Americans will face off once again tomorrow and it should be a very interesting encounter. Aguero had gone without a goal for 6 games, until the match against West Brom when he netted twice.

Barcelona came off a narrow win against Granada over the weekend and missed the influence of Andres Iniesta. It will be Denis Suarez who will take his place for the game against the Citizens.