10 - Lionel Messi - v2

[Antimadridista1]

Let say the truth, he had a few chances during the last two games but just wan't as effective as before his injury.
As I said a few days ago, he's not fit and he will be in two or three weeks. I prefer him not to be at the top right now but being at 100% in 2014 anyways...

 

[suckabov]

He's repeatedly saved us points this season, both in la liga and CL. He deserves some off games and rest, especially when the team is winning without him giving everything. Of course I prefer him to be all messimerizing and score hat tricks, but that way we won't have him fully fit in the CL knock-out stages next spring. Last season everyone was crying for more rest for Messi, now that's exactly what we got (albeit on the pitch). If the game is comparatively "small" and the team manages to score without him, I can live with him taking a break.

Also, he's about the only player that gets criticised so much for a quiet game or for several games without scoring. I remember Ronaldo not scoring the first two (or three?) RM games this season, and nobody gave a damn (or take Ronaldo's performances against Atletico or in the clasico). Just shows what kind of standards Messi has set for himself.

Quite a nice comment on the matter, despite coming from Yahoo Sports.

 

[CatalinR10]

Jordi Cruyff (ex-Barcelona -Man Utd): "Ballon d'Or? Ribery isn't better than Messi, but sometimes a team performance gets rewarded." [cope]

 

[Yannick03]

He's been injured most of the time the last six months, cut him some slack. He's just slowly getting back into the rythm, he's human after all. If he had a little bit of luck yesterday, he would have scored that freekick and went past the last defender on his last run of the game. He was unlucky against Celta not to get a hattrick. He's Messi, that says it all...

 

[Luftstalag14]

He's repeatedly saved us points this season, both in la liga and CL. He deserves some off games and rest, especially when the team is winning without him giving everything. Of course I prefer him to be all messimerizing and score hat tricks, but that way we won't have him fully fit in the CL knock-out stages next spring. Last season everyone was crying for more rest for Messi, now that's exactly what we got (albeit on the pitch). If the game is comparatively "small" and the team manages to score without him, I can live with him taking a break.

Also, he's about the only player that gets criticised so much for a quiet game or for several games without scoring. I remember Ronaldo not scoring the first two (or three?) RM games this season, and nobody gave a damn (or take Ronaldo's performances against Atletico or in the clasico). Just shows what kind of standards Messi has set for himself.

Quite a nice comment on the matter, despite coming from Yahoo Sports.

I think people (at least us cules) will never criticize Messi or any other of our players for failing to score, convert etc. Folks are concerned when they see there was a lack of trying/efforts/involvement (as the whole team displayed in the second half of the game against Osasuna).

Of course I'd love to see our beloved Leo scoring one or two goals every game, but I for one will never criticize him because he didn't score, or say his finishing was off (dip in form) as long as he tried and gave his best. Again it is the lack of trying that is very concerning. I don't think it is simply a case of dipping in form; he was in form this past Tuesday, he didn't score simply because he was unlucky, how could he all of sudden dip in form in a mere 2 days? Whatever it was, it was holding him back yesterday. If he had tried harder, he was probably fully capable of doing a lot better. I hope they talk to Leo and find out what's going on. If Messi has some concerns and reasons behind it, they should be addressed.

 

[suckabov]

Even if the problem was indeed a lack of trying, it was one game. And not a very important one, just 4 days before a CL match. For the record, I have never, ever, seen Messi "not trying" when in matters. He would indeed be foolish to give 100% in every game. So let him take his breaks and be there when it matters again. And he does get criticised more than anyone else, for whatever reason. If any other player "doesn't try", no one cares as much as they do about Messi. He's just been so consistent over the past few years that we have become used to him going mental every game, while in fact this isn't a normal behaviour for any player. If anything, he has been a bit more human than before recently.

Plus, even when "not trying", he often still manages to get more things done than others who do try.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Even if the problem was indeed a lack of trying, it was one game. And not a very important one, just 4 days before a CL match. For the record, I have never, ever, seen Messi "not trying" when in matters. He would indeed be foolish to give 100% in every game. So let him take his breaks and be there when it matters again. And he does get criticised more than anyone else, for whatever reason. If any other player "doesn't try", no one cares as much as they do about Messi. He's just been so consistent over the past few years that we have become used to him going mental every game, while in fact this isn't a normal behaviour for any player. If anything, he has been a bit more human than before recently.

Plus, even when "not trying", he often still manages to get more things done than others who do try.

hehe, trust me, it is not just Messi, players of his caliber (or less) often get the wrath of their fans too when they are deemed of not performing up to their standards. I frequent a RM forum, I can tell you CR7 is getting a lot of verbal abuse from the RM fans. Benzema and Isco are even worse.

 

[suckabov]

That's not even what I was saying. I have never read articles going on about a player's "month to forget", especially when that player scored a CL goal that secured a draw and had other good showings, or talking about a player's 3-game-long "goal drought" and questioning whether "he is past his prime". Or raising questions such as "is it just a temporary low, or is he in a deep crisis?". Not for Cristiano (like at the start of this season, or in any other season considering he usually doesn't score every game) nor anyone else. That's quite natural considering Messi's usual stats, but it's overreacting nonetheless.

 

[Luftstalag14]

That's not even what I was saying. I have never read articles going on about a player's "month to forget", especially when that player scored a CL goal that secured a draw and had other good showings, or talking about a player's 3-game-long "goal drought" and questioning whether "he is past his prime". Or raising questions such as "is it just a temporary low, or is he in a deep crisis?". Not for Cristiano (like at the start of this season, or in any other season considering he usually doesn't score every game) nor anyone else. That's quite natural considering Messi's usual stats, but it's overreacting nonetheless.

As a devout Messi and Barca fanboy, I googled news articles on Messi and our team frequently (sorry, what can I say :barca scarf, I did not find anything that is particularly harsher from the media than what some us cules had said, especially during the match chat. Of course, I am only looking at English and Chinese ones as I don't speak Spanish. Those articles you mentioned are from the media or the fans? I'd like to read some of those.

Anyway, to your point, because Messi is deemed the best player in the world, the bar he set for himself (or the bar people set for him) is very high indeed, naturally. Proclaiming it the end of the world is too much, but I maintain that he should be held to the same standards as other players do, which is at the very least be actively participating in the game as opposed to being a spectator, passively strolling around.

 

[Flavia]

http://www.unicef.org/messithiago/en/

1 year today. Happy birthday, Thiago!

 

[Flavia]

From his official tencent weibo:

Con mi hermano Rodrigo festejando el cumple de Thiago.(with my brother rodrigo, celebrating Thiago's bday)

Hoy es el cumple de Thiago y lo vamos a festejar en grande por ser su primer año.(Today is Thiago bday and we're gonna celebrate it big because is his 1st one)

Los partidos contra el Espanyol son siempre muy complicados. Físicamente todavía no estoy al 100 %, pero seguro que con el correr de los partidos iré agarrando ritmo.
(The games against Espanyol are always very complicated. Physically I'm still not 100%, but I'm sure that with game time I'll get back into rhytmn)

 

[Luftstalag14]

Thanks Flavia! Totally forgot about his Tencent Weibo, where he would post exclusive stuff that he does not post on FB. He is good to us Chinese cules.

 

[BarcaGirl]

Messi IG: "Happiest birthday Thiago, we love you!! You mean the world to us"

 

[Luftstalag14]

Wonderful family. And I am happy to see he is happy.

 

[suckabov]

That is one of the cutest picture of them. Thiago's cake isn't bad either...