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In a post-match interview after Barcelona's emphatic victory against Ferencvaros in the UEFA Champions League, Ronald Koeman claimed that he was particularly happy with Lionel Messi's performance and is looking forward to more of the same from the Argentine talisman.
The Barcelona captain was at his influential best against the Hungarian side and lit up the Camp Nou with a series of mesmerising dribbles. Lionel Messi is yet to hit his peak this season and a performance of this nature is a positive indication for Barcelona and Ronald Koeman.
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Barcelona took some time to get into their groove against Ferencvaros and needed a special moment of inspiration from Lionel Messi to open the floodgates at the Camp Nou. The Barcelona forward's mazy run proved too much of a challenge for the Hungarians and Lionel Messi calmly put his penalty in the back of the net to give his side an early lead.
The Catalans seem to have recovered from their early-season struggles and may well be peaking at just the right time. Barcelona have a difficult schedule ahead and will need Lionel Messi at his absolute best in the coming weeks.
Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman showers praise on Lionel Messi's abilities
Lionel Messi was visibly confident after his opening goal and toyed with the Ferencvaros midfield for the rest of the game. The Argentine magician played a pivotal role in Philippe Coutinho's second-half goal and completed several dribbles against the Hungarian outfit.
Ronald Koeman was thrilled with the Barcelona captain's performance and expressed his confidence in Lionel Messi's supernatural talents after the game.
"I do not have a single complaint. Lionel Messi has also had some bad luck. He hit the post and in another game that will be a goal. I don’t have any doubts about his performances and we are going to see him back to his best in the games to come, I am sure."
Lionel Messi also bagged an assist towards the end of the game and gave Ousmane Dembele his first goal of the season. Barcelona's emphatic victory could potentially serve as the perfect foil ahead of a series of challenging fixtures.
Barcelona face Real Madrid this weekend and will have to go toe-to-toe with Andrea Pirlo's formidable Juventus outfit next week. Gerard Pique's red card dampened Barcelona's victory against Ferencvaros and the club's defensive lynchpin is now suspended for the Catalans' game against the Bianconeri.
Barcelona's young guns also had an excellent game against Ferencvaros. Ansu Fati and Pedri scored their first Champions League goals of the season and ran the show for Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Francisco Trincao also had an impressive outing and will likely play an important role for Barcelona this season.
With Lionel Messi nearing his best, Barcelona's victory against the Hungarians will hold the Catalans in good stead against Real Madrid this weekend. Zinedine Zidane's side will pose a stern challenge at the Camp Nou and Lionel Messi and his Barcelona outfit will hope to peak at the perfect time and pip their arch-rivals to the top spot in the La Liga table.
