10 - Lionel Messi - v1

[Barcafan 2304]

Sprain or a strain amounts to the same issue, though...Ligaments have been stretched...It's like an elastic band that has been overstretched...It'll take time for it to recoil properly as well as show some resilience to further stretching or impact...The truth, however, is that once an ankle rolls like that it never quite returns to 100%...Just the nature of our bodies...Doesn't mean he can't be the same player, just means his ankle will roll, in all likelihood, much easier the next time...Part of the fitness staff's objective, undoubtedly, will be to sufficiently strengthen that ankle

I just think 2 weeks is a very optimistic if not altogether misleading estimate...His ankle will take longer to heal properly is my guess

Cheers mate. Just trying to look positively at it! Hopefully, it wont amount to a real lenghty problem. Fingers crossed

 

[FCBarca]

Cheers mate. Just trying to look positively at it! Hopefully, it wont amount to a real lenghty problem. Fingers crossed

Oh no problem, I'm with you...I'm hoping for the best...Just worried is all

 

[La Furia]

I just updated the stats. Messi had fingers (goals or assists) in 10 out of 14 Barca goals this season. 7 goals and 3 assists to be precise.
Amazing and scary.

The team shouldn't rely so much on one player. The worst thing we can possibly do is rush him back. Instead let him heal up and he will be back to his best when we need him the most.

 

[Barcafan 2304]

Agreed. Bilbao away, as it always is, will be tough but we should back ourselves to win there with the players we have.

 

[Carefree]

I just updated the stats. Messi had fingers (goals or assists) in 10 out of 14 Barca goals this season. 7 goals and 3 assists to be precise.
Amazing and scary.

I've been keeping a record too (Aswell as Xavi and Iniesta), though would Messi gets an assist for Pedro's goal against Panathinaikos? His inital shot came off both posts before it fell to Pedro, not quite sure if that counts as an assist.

 

[FCBarca]

The flip side to this is that defenses will perhaps not pack things in either with Leo out, non?

It'll be interesting and it will certainly force others to step up which, frankly, can only be a good thing...There is a tendency for those, ahem Iniesta, to play too passively with Messi on the pitch

 

[Carefree]

End of the day, Barcelona (and Leo) are extremely lucky it's only a couple of weeks and not months. If worse comes to worse, you'll probably see Messi single handedly winning them games like he did last season between January/April time.

 

[Pedro17]

I'm super glad he'll only be out for two, possibly three games. I dont think there is too much need to worry, our team is stacked with allstars!

 

[Pepe Silvia]

It would be stupid to bring him back in less than a month. We have Villa and Pedro that will get Superior service and Bojan didn't get the 9 to sit on his ass and model it. We will be a problem.

 

[La Furia]

I am curious to see how Villa, Pedro and Bojan respond to this. Messi was definitely in ball hog mode against Atleti and as harsh as it sounds, his absence could boost the morale of the rest of the front line.

 

[Barcaman]

I've been keeping a record too (Aswell as Xavi and Iniesta), though would Messi gets an assist for Pedro's goal against Panathinaikos? His inital shot came off both posts before it fell to Pedro, not quite sure if that counts as an assist.

I did count that as an assist as he practically made that goal happen for Pedro.

 

[diegomessi]

[YOUTUBE]vS_2jJ70ThY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Miss Kris]

It would be stupid to bring him back in less than a month. We have Villa and Pedro that will get Superior service and Bojan didn't get the 9 to sit on his ass and model it. We will be a problem.

Yes, I agree. Ligament injuries can be very tricky. Not to suggest the official reports are deliberate lies or whatever, but I think they may be optimistic and trying to reduce the potential panic that Messi will be out of commission for several weeks instead of the casual "oh, just two or three weeks". :/

Anyway, he's surely going to be getting the best care and advice, and I don't think they'll put him back until he's ready. It sucks for Messi, but should/ will provide added motivation for the other potential scorers. I think it will work out fine.

 

[FCBarca]

One of the great things about living in SF, for me, is how you can just walk outside your apartment for a short hike and run into tourists from Barcelona...like I did today

The focus of our conversation?...Not the beautiful evening in SF or where they have been in the US, but the state of Leo Messi and how it impacts Champions League...Loved it...Saw this older gentleman and accompanied by his daughter or someone, wearing a Barca hat & t-shirt...Busted out my broken spanish and we discussed Leo Messi before we finished up with a conversation about the meaning behind 'Més que un club'

 

[putogusiluz8]

Interesting, it appears last season Ujfalusi tried something similar against Messi. This one I would say without doubt was intentional, which leads me to think the recent one was also intentional. I guess Ujfalusi had it figured out that to stop Messi you had to whatever was necessary.