Barcelona’s Lionel Messi Hoping To Be Back To His Best

Lionel Messi thinks that he can bounce back to his best when he returns to action for Barcelona in midweek against Inter, but admits another treble could be difficult.

The Argentine was criticised in his homeland for not doing enough to prevent the Albiceleste from losing both their recent World Cup qualifiers.

That may have affected Messi temporarily, but now back in the fold at Camp Nou, he is hoping that he can find his rhythm again and start performing to the standard he set last term.

"I have had a good pre-season," he told UEFA's official website. "I took some time to do some physical work.

"That is important because with so many games during the year we don't have the chance to train a lot because you travel so much with the squad. What I have done is good in terms of maintaining me for the rest of the year."

Expectations at Camp Nou are even higher than usual after the club swept the board of trophies last time out, but Messi thinks that a repeat performance could be tough.

"We have to start again and take little steps like we did last year. We have to try to maintain the same things that we did before, our own football, well-structured, with the same discipline," he continued.

"It is very difficult. Last season was something very few clubs have achieved in the history of football, so it is very difficult to repeat that for a second year.

"We have to take little steps like we did last year, take it game by game and see how far we get."