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Lionel Messi has said Barcelona's players have "complete confidence" in manager Ernesto Valverde after the Spaniard came under further pressure following Thursday's 3-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup.
Barca were 10 minutes away from reaching the final of the revamped tournament after Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann's goals turned the game on its head in Saudi Arabia following Koke's opener.
However, late strikes from Alvaro Morata and Angel Correa put Atleti into Sunday's final against Real Madrid:
In the aftermath, Messi acknowledged Barca had made mistakes, but he backed Valverde, saying overall it was a positive performance, per Sam Marsden of ESPN FC:
"Yes, there's complete confidence in the coach.