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Former Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has sent a message of support after Lionel Messi made his return to the club on Monday.
The Argentina international has missed the start of pre-season training in a failed attempt to leave Barcelona but was back at work under new manager Ronald Koeman at the Ciutat Esportiva.
Puyol took to Instagram with a picture of Messi in training and the message: “Happy that he continues to defend the @fcbarcelona shirt. I continue to trust these players and with Leo we are certainly stronger. #Visca el Barça.”
It’s not the first time the club captain has voiced his feelings around Messi. He also sent a message of support to his former team-mate when news first broke that the 33-year-old had told Barcelona he wanted to leave.
Messi has admitted he’s grown unhappy at Barcelona and wanted a new challenge in an interview with Goal’s Ruben Aria, but the club were unwilling to sanction his departure and he will stay for the 2020-21 campaign.
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Busy Week for Barcelona
Barcelona are set for a busy week in training ahead of their first pre-season friendly on Saturday against Segunda Division B side Nastic at the Estadi Johan Cruyff. The team will train twice on Tuesday and Wednesday as they step up their preparations for the new campaign.
🏋️♀️ Monday
🏋️♀️ x 2️⃣ Tuesday
🏋️♀️ x 2️⃣ Wednesday
😴 Thursday
🏋️♀️ Friday
⚽ Saturday
😴 Sunday
🔵🔴 #ForçaBarça
Koeman’s preparations have been hit by the recent spate of international fixtures that have meant players such as Antoine Griezmann, Clement Lenglet, Ansu Fati, Sergio Busquets, and Frenkie de Jong have all been away with their national teams.
The players will all return to their clubs this week which will allow Koeman to look at his full squad together for the first time since taking over as manager from Quique Setien.
The Dutch coach now has three weeks with his players to prepare for their opening La Liga fixture of the season against Villarreal at the Camp Nou.
Changes Coming Under Koeman
Koeman is being tipped to make plenty of changes to his team for the new season. He’s already seen Ivan Rakitic leave for Sevilla, while Luis Suarez and Arturo Vidal are expected to be the next players to depart.
Sport’s Jordi Gil is also tipping Koeman to make more changes. He thinks the Dutch coach could trust in the club’s youth, adopt a high press, try to move the ball quicker, and use more width.
Certainly, the Catalan giants need to improve if they are to avoid another trophyless season. They ended their La Liga campaign five points behind Real Madrid and their thrashing by Bayern Munich in the Champions League brought the team’s current failings into sharp focus.
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Puyol Sends Message of Support As Messi Returns to Barcelona