Lionel Messi Insists There Is More About Barcelona Than MSN
Barcelona attacker Lionel Messi is adamant the Catalan club does not overly depend on its fearsome MSN attack as it chases another treble.
Lionel Messi has stressed there is more to Barcelona than the attacking trident he forms with Luis Suarez and Neymar.
Barcelona's prolific trio has been key to the club's recent successes, with the "MSN" helping the Catalans to the treble last season with 122 goals in all competitions.
Messi, Suarez and Neymar have been equally sublime in 2015-16 — all three were on target in the 3-1 win over Arsenal on Wednesday that sealed a Champions League quarterfinal place — but the Argentine attacker has stressed Barcelona is not overly reliant on its forward line.
"Barcelona do not depend on MSN," Messi told reporters at a Huawei event. "We have a great squad and there is much more to Barcelona than just the three attackers. We have some amazing players."
Barcelona, which tops La Liga with an eight-point lead, is on a 38-game unbeaten run in all competitions, breaking Real Madrid's previous undefeated record of 34 matches, but Messi is adamant all he cares about is winning silverware as Luis Enrique's men chase another treble.
"Records are not important to us. All that matters to us is winning titles. We always want to win more. If we break records on our way to winning titles, that's obviously nice," he added. "The good atmosphere in the squad is the key to our success. We have players who have already won it all, but are still as enthusiastic as at the start of their careers. That's very important as well. The good atmosphere and the desire to keep winning more things are key. My goal is always to win everything I can win, both with Barcelona and Argentina.
"We are not writing off anyone in La Liga. We are only thinking about ourselves. Every game we win is game fewer until the end."
On the treble, he added: "We are taking things one step at a time. Our goal is to challenge for all trophies and we are doing just that at the moment. All teams that are still in the Champions League are difficult opponents. It will be complicated. I am only thinking about football. Everything else is less important."