A seething Lionel Messi is one Tottenham should fear when Barcelona come to town

Messi fumed after the final whistle against Athletic Club on Saturday protesting to the extent that he was cautioned for dissent, and then railed against his side’s inability to defend in a post-match interview

If Tottenham were not already slightly afraid, as one would expect with Lionel Messi coming to town, then coming up against a decidedly miffed Lionel Messi will probably inject a little bit more of the fear factor into them.

That’s not to say they should be scared of this iteration of Barcelona necessarily, who are clearly a flawed team that remain utterly dependent on the Argentine, but Saturday night’s draw with Athletic Club might give Tottenham some hope.

Messi was rested with Spurs in mind, which is quite the compliment for Mauricio Pochettino’s men and a reminder that after beating Real Madrid at the Bernabéu last season and entering their ninth consecutive season in continental competition, they are considered one of the most dangerous teams in Europe by the top tier of clubs. He came off the bench at 1-0 down at the weekend and rattled the woodwork before setting up Munir for the equaliser. It was a point more than they looked destined for but still Messi seethed, protesting after the final whistle to the extent that he was cautioned for dissent and then railing against his side’s inability to defend in a post-match interview.

“We’re conscious of the fact that we have to be stronger defensively,” he said. ”It can’t be that we keep conceding goals every game. Last year it was hard to score against us or even make chances but this year the littlest thing and they score.”

Messi is a great winner but a frustrated and bad loser. This one appeared to rankle him a little more though, reportedly leading to a bust-up with defensive leader Gerard Pique over their weakness at the back, and the growing concern surrounding Valverde’s stewardship will only be magnified should the Nou Camp club suffer defeat at Wembley.

There is a feeling that Valverde, hired from Athletic in the summer of 2017 but counting on his background as a former Barca player, is not a coach of the level required for Barcelona’s ambitions. It goes unspoken that the sun is setting on Messi’s career – setting slowly, but setting nonetheless – and any time afforded to a coach incapable of leading them back to the summit in Europe is time wasted.

Lionel Messi was frustrated in Bilbao (Reuters)

It may seem a little harsh considering Valverde not only won a title in his first season in charge but overcame a Real Madrid team whose squad was considered one of the strongest ever assembled. They may well win La Liga again this year but if they are to do so they will need to address the defensive issues that are causing them to leak points and that Messi was so frustrated with on Saturday.

“We can’t keep conceding goals like this,” he vented, and the reality is that this team looks a fair way off the quality of its previous iterations.

Real Madrid do too, though, and there is a sensation that La Liga’s big two are not at the level to which we have become accustomed. What remains to be seen is whether that is reflected on the field in European competition.

What both of those clubs have succeeded in doing is maintaining that mirage. Barca’s pursuit of Paul Pogba is interesting in that regard, a player who would cost far beyond what the Catalans could afford to spend without significant sales but one that they continue to tease. It is almost as if they expect teams to dip their asking price because it is Barcelona interested... the Barcelona.

But with no more Neymar-sized windfalls coming and a wage bill that is nearly 70 per cent of revenue, it is hard to see where the money would come from to make Pogba a Barca player.

Their recruitment policy is hardly the most sophisticated, and one of their biggest summer signings was a last-minute gazump of Roma to secure Malcom’s arrival. Another impulsive push into the market for a player that is yet to convince.

Listing all the issues at Barcelona would take all day, but the one thing that covers them all up is the very same thing that has Tottenham most concerned ahead of Wednesday night. That thing is about 5ft 6in tall, comes from Argentina, and makes any struggling manager, leaking backline or balance sheet drift to the back of the mind just as easily as he drifts into space. Messi is angry, beware.