It is the third penalty he has failed to hit home this season, making 13 such mistakes throughout the course of his career. Debate was soon raging about whether he should keep shooting penalties. Luis Enrique was asked the question during the post-match press conference. He replied without hesitation: "Our penalty taker is still, without question, Leo Messi".
The Barça faithful were also in no doubt about who should step up to the spot next time round. "He should keep on taking them as he's the best at coping with the pressure. I thought it was a well-executed penalty", said Sergi Barjuán.
A matter of trust
'Tente' Sánchez cannot understand why the matter has become such a big issue. The former 'Azulgrana' captain drew a comparison between Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi to illustrate his point.
"Why does CR7 continue to take free-kicks when his strike rate is so low? Because he's the best free-kick taker Real Madrid have. It's the same situation here. If Messi is the best at shooting penalties, he needs to keep doing it", Tente argued.
What is clear is that Messi has the backing of the Barça camp, with Bartomeu settling the penalty issue by saying, "It was a shame, but it is his exceptional performance that we need to focus on". Mascherano also expressed a similar sentiment.
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