Barcelona ace Lionel Messi took control of the locker room at halftime of Sunday's victory at Villarreal.

Barca won the game 2-0, but only after two late goals from Luis Suarez and Messi.

Diario Gol says Messi was furious at halftime and could be heard from the away dressing room shouting at his teammates as they lumbered through the opening 45 minutes.

Barca's lethargy had angered Messi and rather than wait for coach Ernesto Valverde to rally his teammates, the Argentine took it upon himself to make clear how the first-half performance had not been good enough.

Messi demanded Barca "raise our level" not "one level but many" or they would never find a way past Villarreal's defence.

In the end, Barca earned the win - but the goals only arrived after the dismissal of Villarreal's Dani Raba.