It feels less and less likely that Lionel Messi will still be a Barcelona player next season with each passing week.The legendary forward made no secret of his desire to leave Camp Nou in the summer but was denied the opportunity to do so.The result? Barça now find themselves with an unhappy captain who, despite the odd moment of magic, doesn’t seem fully committed to the cause. You get the impression that his plan is to leave the club when his contract expires at the end of the season.Messi has scored four goals and proved just two assists in 10 La Liga games this season. These aren’t numbers you associate with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.Age might be a factor - he turned 33 in June - but when you consider the fact he scored 25 goals and registered 22 assists in La Liga last season, it’s hard not to feel that his decline in form is purely down to the fact he’s unsettled.Recent eyebrow-raising comments from the club’s interim president Carlos Tusquets would hardly have helped matters, either."Economically speaking, I would've sold Messi in the summer window," Tusquets told RAC1 radio station, per Sky Sports. "Both in terms of what you save on the wage bill as well as the money you make, it would've been desirable. But this is something the coaching staff have to consent to and that's not my place.”Barça currently sit seventh in the table, just three points above the relegation zone, after slumping to their fourth league defeat of the season against Cadiz on Saturday night.Alvarado Negredo netted the winner for the hosts in the 63rd minute. Messi, meanwhile, had 10 shots at goal but failed to score.

It’s also been some time since Messi last scored a free-kick.

Of his last 62 free-kicks, the South American has scored once - and that was against Osasuna in July.

There was a point where Messi was banging free-kicks in almost every match, so what’s behind his recent poor stats from set-pieces?

Well, these images might explain why.

In an effort to prevent Messi from scoring free-kicks, teams are bringing everyone back behind the ball.

We saw it again by Cadiz this weekend. Not only was there a wall, but two players were positioned on either post while the rest of the players were scattered about inside the box.

You can’t blame teams for setting up this way. It makes complete sense given how dangerous Messi is from free-kicks. But it might explain why his success rate has decreased dramatically of late.