Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde believes that the recent criticism of Lionel Messi has been over the top.

The Barcelona star has been subdued in recent games, with the Catalan giants losing their last three, but the Athletic boss feels that too much is sometimes asked of the four-time Ballon d'Or winner.

"The thing is that Messi is asked to pull a rabbit out of the hat every game, when he is the most marked man of all, and that's hard," he told reporters.

"He is not enjoying the form he had before, but he can unbalance a match at any time."

Valverde's side travel to Camp Nou on Sunday.

Written by
Paul Gorst