Taking over from Frank Rijkaard, Guardiola enforced a number of changes to the squad which allowed Messi to become the focal point of Barcelona's assault on domestic and European trophies.
But with all the praise and adulation Messi receives from the world's footballing audience, it's important to note how he became the greatest player of his generation and what he can further do to cement his place as the greatest player of all-time.
The primary talking point of the start of Guardiola's reign in charge of Barcelona was the extraction of deadwood and increasingly distracting individuals. It was of paramount importance the he had the full backing of the entire squad, who would follow his every command without question.
With the removal of Samuel Eto'o following his first successful season, as well asRonaldinho the summer prior to their domination of Europe, Lionel Messi had far more room to manoeuvre both on and off the pitch.
On the field, Messi became the talisman of the current Barcelona setup. Everything went through him as he adapted well to his new position as the "false No. 9," coming deep to play a more central role with Xavi and Andres Iniesta and providing the wide forwards room for an attack on goal.
Messi showed that despite arriving into the first-team at the Nou Camp as a winger, he was able to stand toe-to-toe with the best passers in world football, never seeming out of place as the ball pinged around over a matter of five to 10 yards and delivering his own level of breathtaking assists.
As a centre-forward we've seen Messi mature into the player he has become today. Maybe not the most complete player in contrast to Cristiano Ronaldo, but a better player than the Portuguese and anyone who dared to challenge his throne.
But as all the trophies and personal accolades arrived at a player who is yet to reach the peak of his career, there are a number of questions that can be raised as to how Messi can further improve on his game and, most importantly, on Barcelona's.
The main issue is his adaptability. Yes, he has moved into the centre of the pitch and proved he can become one of the greatest goal scorers in the game, as well as a player wonderfully gifted in providing assists deep into double figures over a season. But as he plays the primary centre-forward role, he also quashes any question over another striker taking up his rightful place as a consist figure in that position.
David Villa being the primary example, and a player who seems to have adapted extremely well to playing on the left side of an attacking trident. The issue is that as Spain's all-time leading goal scorer, David Villas knows he has little chance of getting firmly into similar regions as Messi or Ronaldo in terms of goals scored per season. And, as we are currently witnessing, he goes through a dip in form where he struggles to find the net. This was all too familiar towards the end of his first season at the Nou Camp and may continue to be a problem.
It's not that Messi can't play wide, it's that he doesn't seem to want to. Does that add to the downfall of the team? Most definitely.
When Messi plays well, the whole team seems to find that extra edge to their game, the goals fly in and the opposition are succumbed to a humbling. However, when Messi plays poorly, it shows on the rest of the team.
As I've mentioned, the majority of Barcelona's attack goes through Messi, so players like Pedro, Villa and even Iniesta only know how to play a supporting role despite reaching incredible numbers themselves.
Would Barcelona have won the game against Sevilla a few weeks ago had they had a genuine striker who has been playing in the role consistently? Perhaps. Of course, let's not forget the heroics of Javi Varas.
But the point is, Messi was not playing to his productive maximum which culminated in his penalty miss late on in the game. It's a burden of responsibility that maybe doesn't need to weigh so heavy if the player could rotate a little with others who could perhaps add another dimension to the already seemingly perfect Barcelona attack.
It would have been interesting to see where Giuseppe Rossi would have fit in had he completed his proposed move to the Nou Camp in the summer.
As one of La Liga's deadliest and most vibrant strikers, where in that Barcelona front three would Rossi fit in if Messi was persistent with his role as the tip of the sword? And furthermore, how many more problems would it create as we've seen in the past with Zlatan Ibrahimovic (who clearly is an almost unrivalled character in terms of his explosive personality).
It's extremely inaccurate to label Barcelona as a one-man team or that the team can only win if Messi plays, the squad is far too strong and filled with quality right through the ranks. But with the role that Messi has taken on, it would almost come as a shock the rest of the squad if he happened to miss a lengthy part of the season. David Villa would most likely take on his old role of playing through the middle, but it would take him and the rest of the squad time to adapt.
I certainly don't fear for Messi as a constant in the select few who will be among the world's elite players over the next decade, but there are areas to improve if he is to become the greatest of all-time.
Adaptability is important, as it allows others to showcase the qualities they have rather than dim their lights for the benefit of one other. It's important that in the worst case the team have a plan B, another option to take on the constant goal threat and, of course, a player who is up to speed and well versed in the role Messi has now made his own.
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