Griezmann, De Jong and Alba need to step up, otherwise Barca can't win La Liga

Lionel Messi sent a clear message recently.

What Barcelona have isn't enough to win the Champions League, and that could only happen if things improve dramatically, which hasn't happened yet.

The team are just ticking along and not showing any signs of progression.

Messi alone isn't enough to win the Champions League. He cannot be asked to solve every problem Barcelona have, and he needs to be helped by his teammates.

Even forgetting the Champion League, there are questions around whether or not Barcelona can win LaLiga Santander.

But they should be able to. Playing Espanyol, Mallorca, Leganes or Real Sociedad - all of whom are still to come for the Catalans - isn't the same as taking on Liverpool, Bayern Munich or Manchester City.

Barcelona won't improve though if players like Antoine Griezmann, Jordi Alba or Frenkie de Jong don't take a step forward.

The Frenchman, for example, has scored just once in his last seven LaLiga Santander games, which quite simply isn't enough, even less so without Luis Suarez.

Jordi Alba has only scored one goal and given two assists this season, whereas last term he scored two and has eight assists.

Just like Griezmann, Jordi Alba's return isn't good enough. De Jong, too, has to start being a difference maker.