10 - Lionel Messi - v3

[Busi-Messi Barca]

Had to sig that Flavia!

 

[AURELIUS]

You need proper wingbacks to play a 3-5-2 so you can exploit the extra players in midfield with pace down the wings. Rojo and Zabaleta are fullbacks, and not great offensive ones at that. 3-5-2 for Argentina is really a 5-3-2 because they've got no wingbacks capable of exploiting teams on offense.

That was an awful formation to play, specially without Higuain sitting in the middle of opposing CBs gathering long balls and playing one-twos with Messi. Messi was totally alone. Di Maria was totally alone.

I hope to never see that formation again. They weren't even defending well with it.

They have played this formation before with success. But the teams they were playing then were attacking and not sitting ten behind the ball.

Zabaleta can play the wingback role very effectively as he does for Manchester City and even Rojo a natural centreback does this well. But the times they did push up they were not used effectively or passed to.

As for Messi and the team as a whole there is a lot of rustiness to remove. The two pre WC friendlies are indications of this and I expect they will work through issues such as incomplete passes, pressing from the front and being more compact when required when the round of 16 comes around.

Higgy and Gago are not match sharp or fit as yet. Higgy has not played for a month and looked a tad slow.

 

[AURELIUS]

the best*

van Persie's technique for the header is numero uno.

 

[CatalinR10]

 

[Leo10]

 

[CatalinR10]

Most dribbles during this World Cup: Messi , Oscar 7 - Neymar, Alexis 6 #fcblive #arg #bra #chl [via @barcastat]

 

[CatalinR10]

 

[Sumlit]

They have played this formation before with success. But the teams they were playing then were attacking and not sitting ten behind the ball.

Zabaleta can play the wingback role very effectively as he does for Manchester City and even Rojo a natural centreback does this well. But the times they did push up they were not used effectively or passed to.

As for Messi and the team as a whole there is a lot of rustiness to remove. The two pre WC friendlies are indications of this and I expect they will work through issues such as incomplete passes, pressing from the front and being more compact when required when the round of 16 comes around.

Higgy and Gago are not match sharp or fit as yet. Higgy has not played for a month and looked a tad slow.

Zabaleta is a fullback, not a wingback. He lacks the speed and ball control to be a wingback. For City he is a pure fullback that bombs forward and then returns. Rojo is even less apt for a wingback role than Zabaleta.

That formation was not a 3-5-2, it was a downright 5-3-2 without a proper linkup between the defense and the offense. It wasn't very good. I've only remember seen Argentina play this type of formation against Bolivia in La Paz in the high altitude. They went there just looking not to lose.

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

Most dribbles during this World Cup: Messi , Oscar 7 - Neymar, Alexis 6 #fcblive #arg #bra #chl [via @barcastat]

We need Oscar.

 

[NotInHere]

Went to watch his goal on youtube once again, scrolled to the comments

Big mistake

"Thats all he did in the game"

Why do people have to hate on someone just for the sake of it?

 

[Jadentheman]

We need Oscar.

Should have swapped Cesc for Oscar

 

[Kerrybai]

As great as the goal was does anyone think it's technically an own goal? I don't expect it to be overturned but there might be slight contact off the defenders leg, its very hard to see though and almost impossible to know whether it would have gone in without the contact... if there was indeed any to begin with.

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

Should have swapped Cesc for Oscar

Actually I can imagine Zubi saying things like that after transfers are done.
"Hmm, we could have done that", or "damn, I should have had that idea earlier".

 

[CatalinR10]

Goat

 

[Luftstalag14]

As great as the goal was does anyone think it's technically an own goal? I don't expect it to be overturned but there might be slight contact off the defenders leg, its very hard to see though and almost impossible to know whether it would have gone in without the contact... if there was indeed any to begin with.

I don't think so. I remember looking at the replay from different angles and none of them showed the ball touching the legs of any BIH defenders?