Messi & Busquets benching best for Barcelona - Valverde Chris Burton

The Catalan giants dropped points for the third La Liga game in a row as Messi sat out the game from the start.

Lionel Messi believes Barcelona need to improve defensively after Saturday's 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao saw the champions drop points for the third consecutive La Liga match.

Messi was left on the bench for the first half, with Ernesto Valverde seemingly resting him ahead of Wednesday's Champions League trip to Tottenham.

Without their talisman, Barca lacked creativity at Camp Nou and deservedly trailed 1-0 at the break thanks to Oscar De Marcos' goal.