Messi's absence 'made the difference' in defeat to Columbus Crew, says Busquets

Sergio Busquets regretted his side's elimination in the Leagues Cup against Columbus Crew and the absence of Lionel Messi, who has been out with an ankle injury since the Copa America final on 14th July. "We know the difference Leo makes, I wish we could have had him with us. But football is like that: injuries, setbacks..." he explained in the mixed zone.

"For us, he is very important and it was a shame not to be able to enjoy him because I'm sure everything would have been different and we would have had a much better chance. We had a very good first half, we went in with a positive result at half-time. From then on, they brought on more attacking players. We knew they were going to attack, that they were going to look to score goals, but that we were also going to have our chances, especially on the counter," Busquets analysed.

"I think that's how it was, that's how the result was decided because they were better in front of goal and were able to come back. We had a lot of counterattacks where we lacked that final pass, that last finish that didn't come. It's a shame, we wanted to stay in the tournament, we fought until the end," added the Spaniard.

"Between all of us, we have to be a solid team and hopefully we can achieve that because now we are playing for the league," said the former Barcelona player.

"There is no choice but to prioritise the MLS. We are in a very good position, hopefully we can maintain this rhythm until the end and be first and then approach the play offs in the best way possible. Hopefully we can all be fully fit, in this case Leo as soon as possible. We don't know when he'll be ready, but I hope he recovers as soon as possible because I'm sure that, with everyone available, we're a very difficult team to beat," he concluded.

 

August 14, 2024