A recurrence of his thigh muscle injury on Sunday kept Messi away from the field for two months, meaning Barca will have to adapt as quickly as possible to life without the star who inspired them to become an attacking team.

With Messi absent, Neymar and other Barca players will have to work even harder.

From the reality at the end of last season, when the team was clearly weakened every time Messi was injured, Barca has carefully prepared both personnel and tactics to limit dependence on the Argentine superstar.

The most important change in Barca’s playing style under Martino  lies in the appearance of rookie Neymar.

The two months of Messi’s absence could be an opportunity for Martino and Neymar to further explore the striker’s abilities when moving into the Argentine superstar’s position in the middle.

In the match against Betis last Sunday, after Messi left the field in the 19th minute, Fabregas was pushed to play `false number 9` and made a strong impression.

For comparison, Neymar is only slightly behind Fabragas in assist ability, with only eight successful passes.

Neymar and Fabregas are the most important contributors to helping Barca become less dependent on Messi this season.

Neymar also played twice in the role of `false 9` and did not play poorly.

Coach Martino has affirmed more than once that he is not bound by any personnel-tactical plan, and has proven that through the flexible way he arranged Messi on Barca’s front line this season.