More Messi magic pleases Pep

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola sang the praises of Lionel Messi after his side thumped Real Zaragoza 4-0 on Saturday.

Messi – who only got back to Spain on Thursday after international duty with Argentina – played a key role in the victory, bagging a first-half goal in the rout.

And Guardiola used his post-match press conference to hail Messi’s influence, and his will to play.

“Messi is a player who always causes problems and it was the same here,” Guardiola said.

“He said he was okay to play and so we decided to start him and it paid off.”

“I was very pleased with the performance from the players and how well we do this season is down to them.”

Barca’s performance was outstanding and their freshness after the international break surprised many, including Guardiola.

“After the beating they take with their national teams, they come back to Barcelona and run like no other,” he said.

“I’m very surprised with the positive mental state they returned with.”

Spanish defender Gerard Pique was pleased with the way his side overcame a potential banana skin, as they broke down a defensively-minded Zaragoza outfit with ease.

“These three points are very important,” Pique said.

“Games like these can become complication but today we played well. It’s normal that teams that come to the Camp Nou play defensively and try to counterattack.”