Valverde: Messi makes things appear easy, but they aren't easy LaLiga - Barcelona 6-1 Girona Was full of praise for the No.10

Despite taking an early lead at the Camp Nou, Girona were on the receiving end of a Lionel Messi-inspired defeat, with Ernesto Valverde claiming that the Argentine makes things which aren't easy actually appear so.

Luis Suarez netted a hat-trick and Messi scored a brace as the Blaugrana put any notion of a supposed decline in form to the back of everyone's minds.

"Leo [Messi] makes things appear easy, but they aren't easy," Valverde explained in his post-match press conference.

"It's hard to judge a performance like this.

"Just when you think you've seen everything from a player, he goes and surprises you once more.

"We are always waiting to see just how he will raise the bar next."

Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele were both given starts on Saturday and the pair eventually settled to the pace of the match and contributed in their own unique ways.

The former Athletic Club coach later made clear he will be patient with the duo.

"Both are players who we have extremely high hopes for," he intimated.

"Coutinho plays well in the midfield and scored a fantastic shot.

"Dembele has more depth, he's raw and is still very young.

"His injuries meant he skipped an adaptation period so he still needs to work."

Whilst the scoreline won't make for pleasant reading for anybody involved with Girona, their performance in parts was far better than might be imagined.

The visitors worked hard and pressed extremely well in the opening 20 minutes of play, with the Spanish coach quick to admit his team had been in a tight game in parts.

"In the first match we looked at their style, when they push up they leave a lot of players forward," he confirmed.

"It's a risk and when they go past that line and it's inevitable that we'd get more chances.

"Obviously we assessed their qualities, as every team has weapons and an ability to hurt you."

Next up for Valverde and for Barcelona is a Thursday night trip to Las Palmas.