'Messi had played a lot of games and needed a rest'
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde had revealed the reason behind dropping talisman Lionel Messi to the bench for the goalless draw against Juventus in the Champions League.
"He's played a lot of games of late and for once he was able to rest and come on in the second half when the game was more open. That was the thinking behind the decision," the Barca boss told 'beINSports' following the game.
Who decided that Messi would not play from the start? Valverde didn't let too much slip, but he did suggest that the decision had been his, saying: "They're internal things that the manager deals with."
Messi remained on the bench until the 56th minute when he was introduced in search of a winner, though that pursuit was to no avail.
With regard to the result, Valverde said: "I have a good feeling. We advance as group winners. We came here with the intention to come out on top, to win. We played with personality because Juve always press hard here. We dominated long spells of the game. In the end they had a chance to win through Dybala."
The Barca boss was full of praise for goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, who produced a fine save to deny Paulo Dybala late on. "He's in great form at the moment," he enthused. "Though our intention is that he doesn't have many shots to save. His save was a decisive point in the game, if they had scored from that chance, they would have won the game.
"Out rivals are strong and we appear solid, which pleases me. In the end, we've held onto a point that allows us to go through as group winners. We've taken a point at a very difficult ground."
Finally, Valverde sent a message of support to Sevilla boss Eduardo Berizzo who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer.. "He's a manager that I have a lot of time for. I've talked to him a lot. I send him all my best and also that of Barca. It's a terrible piece of news but we know that that we're all here to help," he said.