The era of 'MSN' is over at Barcelona and the Catalan press has christened a new attacking trident: Messi, Messi, Messi

With Neymar gone for Parisian riches and Luis Suarez out injured, everything hinges on one man

Evan Bartlett
Thursday 14 September 2017 16:54 BST
Comments
Thursday's front page of Sport christened a new attacking trident at Camp Nou
Thursday's front page of Sport christened a new attacking trident at Camp Nou (Sport)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The Catalan press has consigned the era of "MSN" to history. With Neymar gone for the riches of Paris and Luis Suarez out injured, Barcelona have been left to rely on one man: Lionel Messi.

That at least was the conclusion of the daily Sport on Thursday morning which christened a new attacking trident: MMM (or Messi, Messi, Messi).

Barcelona were in a state of crisis at the start of the season and in many ways still are, at least institutionally, but have enjoyed an emphatic start to the season on the pitch with Messi at the heart of it all.

The diminutive Argentine has been in scintillating form and was near to his very best on Tuesday night as his side defeated last season's Champions League finalists Juventus 3-0.

The Catalans have also won their first three La Liga games, sitting top of the table after scoring nine and conceding none.

Messi has scored seven in his past three appearances, including two in that win over Juve, and now has a brace in a scarcely believable 10 league games in a row.

With the 30-year-old in such form, Barcelona continue to be one of the strongest teams in Europe.

But can "MMM" carry the burden for the whole season?

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in