The retired striker believes that Ballon d’Or winner http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 is not performing at his best and blames exhaustion for this affect.
With Barcelona finding themselves 7 points adrift of the league leaders, Messi has come under criticism for his less-than-spectacular displays on the pitch. This term, the prolific striker has been the heart of the Catalan team once again, adding to the
team’s cause with 37 goals and 18 assists in 36 matches.
Despite his prolific form, La Blaugrana’s blushes in Spanish top-flight football have been attributed to the Argentine’s dip in form. Talking on the matter, Kempes attributed Messi's sub-par displays, by his standards, to the Catalan club’s busy schedule
in the current campaign.
"There are players who have dropped their level, especially Messi," the 1978 World Cup winner told COM Radio. "Perhaps he needs a holiday, not now, but when it is time for that.
"Still, he is not the only one to have dropped a level."
Reflecting on La Liga title race, the former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Rosario-Central-c40380 player stated that Real Madrid are favourites to win the championship but believes writing off Barcelona will be a mistake. With 17 league matches yet to be played, Kempes remarked that La Blaugrana
still have a chance to retain the title.
"At the moment, Madrid are much stronger than Barca, but to say that they are already champions is a totally different thing," Kempes noted.
He also had words of caution for the Camp Nou-based outfit for their Copa del Rey second leg encounter with Valencia. The 57-year-old praised the fighting spirit in Los Che squad, who have been spectacular this season.
Kempes added that the match will be an interesting meeting, as both teams still have everything to play for.
"The Liga is not lost for Barca because there are many points left to play for. They must be cautious in the Copa del Rey because Valencia have been playing well on the road.
"Barca are an unbeatable team at home."
After the 1-1 draw at the Mestalla last week, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863 at the Camp Nou on Wednesday for the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final.
Tags: