<span class="titolo">Messi: Stop Antagonising Rijkaard</span></p> <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'></p> <span class="sommario">Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has stepped in to defend coach Frank Rijkaard, telling the footballing public to stop attacking him...</span></p> Lionel Messi may be away on international duty with Argentina, but the young forward still has half a mind on affairs at his club side, Barcelona. And the 20 year old has decided that enough is enough when it comes to people criticising coach Frank Rijkaard. "What I want is for people to stop taking digs at Rijkaard because he can solve this problem," he told Clarin newspaper. "We must be mature, but he can find answers as to what's wrong with us." While Messi readily admits that something is amiss at Camp Nou, he's also determined not to blow the recent issues out of proportion. "After all the games we've lost away from home - and there have been enough of them - we're still only four points behind Real Madrid in the table," he pointed out. Once again, he went on to explain that his match against Getafe on Saturday was the worst of his career. "I didn't have one pass, nor a shot," he recalled. "It was frustrating. And I wanted to play another game right away to stop the criticism, especially for the sake of the team." Nonetheless, he holds out hope that this season may yet bring silverware both with Barcelona and the albiceleste. "I hope to enjoy a year of happiness," he began. "Argentina? It's a gift to be able to play with the national team." Messi has 24 caps for his country so far.</div></p>
