Lionel Messi, the Argentinean striker and Balon D'or winner, was left on the bench by coach Tito Villanova in Barcelona's semifinal home game against German side Bayern-Munich Wednesday.
While many thought the Spanish giants were going to go fully offensive in order to obtain the huge turn-around they needed, many were surprised to see two high level strikers, Alexis Sanchez and Lionel Messi left out of the starting eleven.
Many attributed his absence to the hamstring injury he suffered in the first-leg of the semi-final in Germany, but Villanova said this was not the case, stating that Messi would have gotten playing time in the second half, had things gone their way in the first.
"We would have taken the risk of playing Leo towards the end of the match if we still had a chance of making the final."
"Messi was not injured, but he was not feeling okay, and I thought that in his situation he would not help the team," Vilanova told reporters.
"He played in Bilbao because he was in much better condition, but at the end of the game he contracted some strange sensations."
David Villa and other players of the squad backed up Villanova in post-game interviews saying that playing Messi in that position would not have benefited the team, and they must now move forward in the season to put a strong end to the league.
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