: *Messi: Barcelona are better without Neymar

Lionel Messi has suggested that the €222 million sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain has actually made Barcelona better.

Concerns were raised over the summer when Barca were forced into a record-breaking deal once the release clause of their Brazilian forward was met.

With the player also expressing a desire to move on, the La Liga giants found themselves in a difficult position – with their fearsome ‘MSN’ strike force suddenly broken up.

Ernesto Valverde has, however, overseen an 18-game unbeaten opening to the 2017-18 campaign, with Messi of the opinion that Barca have benefited from a tactical rethink.

The Argentine superstar told Marca: “Neymar's departure has caused the way we play to change.

“We lost a great deal of offensive potential but it favoured us in a defensive sense.

“Currently we are most well-armed in the middle of the field, we have more balance and that makes us stronger defensively.”

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