Barcelona squad meet at Messi’s house ahead of La Liga’s final stretch

According to SPORT, the Barcelona first team gathered at Lionel Messi’s house following their hard-fought victory against Valencia at the Mestella. Now finding themselves at the business end of the league season, the squad reportedly all met at the captain’s house for a meal.

The Argentine seemingly called everyone over to celebrate the team’s success in the match against Valencia since it was a crucial victory in the context of a highly exciting title race. His brace on Sunday, alongside a goal from Antoine Griezmann kept Barcelona in the running for the title.

After a setback against Granada, Messi, who seems heavily involved in the first team dynamics even off the pitch, also wanted to prepare the collective for their crunch encounter against Atletico Madrid over the coming weekend. The clash will be hugely decisive in the La Liga title race, and Barcelona find themselves in a must-win situation.

Under Ronald Koeman this season, especially since the turn of the new year, Messi has managed to rediscover a rich vein of form. He has jumped back up into his own different class, but he has also found joy on the pitch, which has translated to better results and morale among the team.

His involvement as a captain to lead the youngsters and newcomers, alongside the heavyweights has borne fruit. During the meal, the 33-year old reportedly discussed strategy for the final four matchweeks in La Liga, in a bid to ensure that the team don’t lose sight of the goal.

Although Barcelona are no longer responsible for their own destiny, they also have no margin for error heading into the home stretch of the 2020-21 campaign. The squad dinner will hopefully go a long way in keeping the team focused and keep morale in check.