The real reason why Lionel Messi was benched yesterday

Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde defended his decision to rest Lionel Messi after his side drew against Athletic Bilbao.

Valverde insisted that leaving Messi on the bench was for the best. He said: "When I make the decision, I think about what's best for my team and for my club. I always do that before playing games, I can't do it afterwards or rewind. Fans can decide what they think is convenient, but I need to think about the best for my team. "It's my absolute responsibility, we have four games in ten days and I thought that Leo and Busquets had to rest knowing that we have a very difficult match on Wednesday. "I knew it was a risky decision, but if it had gone well, you wouldn't be asking me about it."

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