10 - Lionel Messi - v3

[BerkeleyBernie]

Must be the worst pass he's ever given

You do see what he attempted there, right? He wasn't trying to angle a pass to Neymar on the wing, he was intentionally threading between the centerbacks for Neymar to run on to. He just didn't get enough power on the pass, and release was a little late (after getting it under control). The vision and the idea, however, were excellent (to leave Neymar 1v1 with the keeper, instead of still having to beat a marker on the wing).

 

[Ursegor]

Yeah, he did many good things, too. His game certainly didn't warrant the post match mini meltdown here. Still very weird that his touch would fail him like that. I don't think I've ever seen THAT happen before, even in much poorer games from him.

You do see what he attempted there, right? He wasn't trying to angle a pass to Neymar on the wing, he was intentionally threading between the centerbacks for Neymar to run on to.

Yes, fairly obvious IMO.

 

[Deco 20]

I personally think he just had a bad game. The hunger is still there, which is the key ingredient that was missing the past 2 seasons.

I think so too, but his passing deteriorating/becoming sloppy is something I've been noticing for quite a while now.

You do see what he attempted there, right? He wasn't trying to angle a pass to Neymar on the wing, he was intentionally threading between the centerbacks for Neymar to run on to. He just didn't get enough power on the pass, and release was a little late (after getting it under control). The vision and the idea, however, were excellent (to leave Neymar 1v1 with the keeper, instead of still having to beat a marker on the wing).

I think he was just pointing out how weak it was. Hitting the pass between the defenders would be the expected, and ideal, pass.

 

[Blaugrana Bull]

In the 2nd gif you can see Neymar making a minimal inside-outside run. He saw that the defender expected a ball through the middle and wanted it to his feet. He was way faster at that point and would have been through on goal. But he kind of tricked Leo more than the defender. But whatever. Leo made a wrong decision or did not manage to place a pass perfectly which is not that bad.
That happens very often in a game and we talk about as if Leo's career is over. It only shows what high expectations everyone has of him.

And he had one of the best passes ever at the WC when he played the through ball to Di Maria vs Belgium.

 

[footyfan]

I feel like Messi is entering the 2nd phase of his career. The first phase I would consider to be 2007-2013. In this phase, he was all about his insane goal-scoring and the ability to dribble through scores of players. Now it seems like he is changing his playing style just a tad bit. He is looking to be more of a provider and more about efficiency. Remember those insane amount of times he would just refuse to pass the ball to Pedro or Villa (and for a good reason) ?

Now, he has new-found motivation. I expect 2014- until he reaches 32 or so to be another set of magic years. With Suarez and Neymar he knows he has proven goalscorers. I can see him refining his assist abilities even further, with him playing more like an AM just behind Suarez and Neymar. I think he won't score as many goals, but I definitely see him setting insane assist records with Suarez and Neymar in front of him. I think overall, this would certainly set him apart as a GOAT player in many people's eyes (for those who still think Maradona/Pele are better than him).

I don't think there is any aspect of Messi's game where he's better now than the first phase of his career as you call it. Free kicks maybe on average, but he was still better a couple of years ago than now.

 

[Luftstalag14]

I don't think there is any aspect of Messi's game where he's better now than the first phase of his career as you call it. Free kicks maybe on average, but he was still better a couple of years ago than now.

Try to enjoy him for who he is, there is no turning back.

 

[Luftstalag14]

These 2 stood out for me.

Must be the worst pass he's ever given and the worst touch he's ever had in his entire Barca career, both in the same game. I'm convinced he was drunk.

Rusty touches but what preceeded those...

 

[Mitchell1978]

In younger days he would:
First gif - score with minimum touch on the ball
Second gif - run all the way to goal and score

But yeah, maybe he really was drunk.

oh please, you make it sound that back then he never missed a chance and never made a bad pass

the amount of nonsense in this thread is mindboggling

 

[Mitchell1978]

I think so too, but his passing deteriorating/becoming sloppy is something I've been noticing for quite a while now.

i haven't, against atletic there were at least 3 world class passes for example, 2 of them resulted in goals

 

[Icarium]

Lionel Messi has become an official FC Barcelona member, and his son will also be registered as member soon. [md]

What too him so long....

 

[Mitchell1978]

I feel like Messi is entering the 2nd phase of his career. The first phase I would consider to be 2007-2013. In this phase, he was all about his insane goal-scoring and the ability to dribble through scores of players. Now it seems like he is changing his playing style just a tad bit. He is looking to be more of a provider and more about efficiency. Remember those insane amount of times he would just refuse to pass the ball to Pedro or Villa (and for a good reason) ?

Now, he has new-found motivation. I expect 2014- until he reaches 32 or so to be another set of magic years. With Suarez and Neymar he knows he has proven goalscorers. I can see him refining his assist abilities even further, with him playing more like an AM just behind Suarez and Neymar. I think he won't score as many goals, but I definitely see him setting insane assist records with Suarez and Neymar in front of him. I think overall, this would certainly set him apart as a GOAT player in many people's eyes (for those who still think Maradona/Pele are better than him).

this is how i see it:

2004-2009 (age 17-22): young, up-and-coming, plays mostly on the RW, not the (only) focal point of the attack

2009-14 (age 22-27): plays mostly as a False 9/CF, the focal point of the attack, focus is mostly on goal scoring

2014- : i'm guessing he will play more as an attacking midfielder, still the most important part of the attack but more emphasis in getting other forwards involved (mainly Neymar And Suarez). For Argentina he mostly plays this way already. So far this season he has as many shots as key passes.

 

[Egert]

Lionel Messi has become an official FC Barcelona member, and his son will also be registered as member soon. [md]

 

[DonAK]

Someone want to vote this board out

 

[Doobs]

These 2 stood out for me.

Must be the worst pass he's ever given and the worst touch he's ever had in his entire Barca career, both in the same game. I'm convinced he was drunk.

Not to mention he hit the corner flag with a shot inside the box.

 

[FCBarca]

Someone want to vote this board out

#JuntaDimision