10 - Lionel Messi - v2

[messi_xavi_iniesta]

Could have even played with this:


------------------------Romero-------------------------
Zanetti----Samuel ---- Mascherano -----Heinze
-------------------Cambiasso-----------------------
-------------Riquelme---------------------------------
-------------------------------Aguero---------------
------------------------Messi---------------------------
-----------Higuain----------------Di Maria-------------


You could pretty much mirror the roles Barcelona's players have here. Messi as a false nine. The other two strikers playing a bit more wide but making frequent runs when Messi drops deep. Aguero would play the Iniesta role. Riquelme would play the Xavi role. Etc.

Only 1 defensive midfielder? would be torn appart

 

[messi_xavi_iniesta]

There are some people who believe that Stoke, Sunderland, Wigan, etc. all have world class defenses that would stifle Messi.

Only in a cold monday night in mid december

 

[Leo10]

.... and Maradona dragged Napoli "almost" single handedly.

People keep saying that over and over again but I still don't understand it. Can someone explain how one man can drag a team of eleven?
Is it somehow similar to what Messi did with Barcelona last season, where he was the only player that what actually godlike while the others were below their average? If so, if we had won the Liga and Champions, would you say that he dragged Barca last season the way Maradona did with Napoli?

This has nothing to do with the Maradona-Messi comparison, just a thing I never really understood.

 

[raskolnikov]

Yes similair to what Messi did last year but with way less goals and in a wesker team.
Like if he would play for everton for example, Maradona made the team's flow better, its a underrated quality which for example zidane and xavi have as well, in a game where there is no goals or assist by the player but the team plays 10x better with him on it than without. Its something Messi will improve at when he gets older and drops deeper I think, he is already a great playmaker but more direct like cesc is than Xavi in my opinion.

 

[jiopi]

You make it sound as if it is irrational or even sacrilegious to compare the two.

One of my basic arguments, is that it is false to claim that Maradona was playing alone. Furthermore, how good Juventus and Inter actually were in 86/87? On what basis can they be seen as immovable objects, moved by the Herculean Diego?

*Clue: Platini played virtually no part that season as he was already well past his best, it was his last year a player.

Exactly, maybe it has somewhat disrespectful feel to it, but I have no problems of saying that for me Messi is already better than Maradona was, and his career is already "greater". And I saw Maradona's goal of the century live from television, and he was my first of the two football heroes.

 

[MagIX]

maybe it has somewhat disrespectful feel to it, but I have no problems of saying that Maradona is better.

comparing Messi and Maradona is like comparing between 2 of the finest diamonds there is.

I totally agree.

 

[CatalinR10]

 

[lessthanjake]

Only 1 defensive midfielder? would be torn appart

Barca play with only 1 DM too....

 

[CatalinR10]

Those new boots look preety cool

 

[Semi-Neutral]

Do you have a larger copy of that image? That would make a sick wallpaper.

 

[CatalinR10]

Do you have a larger copy of that image? That would make a sick wallpaper.

I made it larger with Photoshop so it would fit perfectly as a wallpaper on my PC , but it's quality isn't as good as it appears here on this thread.

 

[Leo10]

Just another day at the office 90!

 

[mitkoa7x]

really average performance but he beat Zico's alleged record, wonder what record will pop-up next.

 

[Semi-Neutral]

:alexis:-Gives 100%+, doesn't score
-Gives 10%, nets two

 

[Stric]

Hate to say it, but his lost ball led to Falcao's goal... :/