Messi doesn't need to run... or even touch the ball

Many were surprised to see Lionel Messi's name amongst the Barcelona substitutes ahead of their match against Real Betis on Saturday. Ronald Koeman gave the Argentine his first minutes of rest of the season so far but had to call on him sooner than he'd have wanted.

After Betis had drawn level through Antonio Sanabria at the end of the first half, Koeman replaced Ansu Fati with Messi for the start of the second period. It was a decision that changed the course of the game.

After starting and completing 37 league matches in a row for Barcelona, Messi dropped to the bench ahead of the international break. If he did indeed have an ankle problem, he didn't show it, scoring twice to see the hosts to victory.

Despite the goals, his highlight was perhaps the dummy that drew the defenders towards him and allowed Antoine Griezmann to put Barcelona ahead.

Unlike Messi, Pedri was included in Koeman's line-up from the start. The teenager set up Griezmann with a magical backheel in the first half, only for the Frenchman to fail to score. In the end, the former Las Palmas player rounded off the scoring himself in the second half.

Griezmann wouldn't have particularly enjoyed his first half. After a string of misses, he couldn't find the net from the penalty spot either, thwarted by Claudio Bravo from 12 yards.

Although they were ultimately well beaten, Betis proved yet again how easy it is to score against this Barcelona team. Sanabria and Loren Moron found the net with relative ease to generate some nerves in the home dugout.

Ousmane Dembele's confidence is growing again as a Barcelona player. His opening goal was evidence of that, as he cut inside and blasted the ball past Bravo.