10 - Lionel Messi - v4

[Iarwain]

The 'kicking' thing is also overstated in old football, makes it seem like there were leg-breaking incidents every half hour or so. Messi gets kicked PLENTY of times, if you didn't happen to see Medel's roundhouse imitation yesterday. The only difference is that he probably gets a couple of more fouls called in his favor, of which the end result means nothing as in both cases the play is disrupted and the players are stopped from creating danger.

Maradona was protected at big tournaments. Just from the clip below:

- a player gets a yellow for tackling the ball
- Maradona gets the free kick from a shooting distance after Robben-esque dive with hands up the air
- milks a yellow card for the defender after falling on the ground and holding his face during a free kick set up (his face doesn't appear to be hit)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk1iRg4Xt-M

What never gets mentioned is how that era of football had extremely static defensive tactics. There was no real bus-parking or intense high pressing where space was barely afforded and players were getting harassed by 2 or more men in whatever position they were in. Nowadays defensive play is a matter of the entire team shape compressing or shifting to limit space for the opponents and attackers have to play a big role in the pressing play.

Spot on. A quote from Van Basten:

“I played against Maradona and he was a great player like Messi too. There is a big difference between 25 years ago and now, though.”

Maradona and Van Basten had more space to play in, and the game today has become much more compressed, said Van Basten, who will be in Berlin as an ambassador for Nissan. If Juventus can keep it even tighter, he said, they can win.

“We had an area of maybe 40 metres by 50 metres in which we could play; now it’s so tight it’s only half of that,” he explained. “Players have lost 20 metres of space and there might be 10 players between them and the penalty area when they get the ball.

“I played against Maradona and he was a great player like Messi too. There is a big difference between 25 years ago and now, though.”

Maradona and Van Basten had more space to play in, and the game today has become much more compressed, said Van Basten, who will be in Berlin as an ambassador for Nissan. If Juventus can keep it even tighter, he said, they can win.

“We had an area of maybe 40 metres by 50 metres in which we could play; now it’s so tight it’s only half of that,” he explained. “Players have lost 20 metres of space and there might be 10 players between them and the penalty area when they get the ball.

 

[Trickykid]

Tell me about it

*Btw, where in Copenhagen are you from?

I actually just recently moved from Østerbro to Hvidovre, so technically no longer Copenhagen. You?

 

[LordLichtenstein]

I actually just recently moved from Østerbro to Hvidovre, so technically no longer Copenhagen. You?

Funny, I currently live in Østerbro - pretty close to Svanemøllen st.

 

[Alik]

So, nobody cares about the inaccurate stats from Messistat's database? Oh well ..

You can always contact the guy with your corrections.

 

[LordLichtenstein]

You can always contact the guy with your corrections.

I have no idea how?

 

[Alik]

I have no idea how?

Get twitter and message him?

 

[Trickykid]

Funny, I currently live in Østerbro - pretty close to Svanemøllen st.

Seriously? I used to live in the appartments with the DøgnNetto just next to Svanemøllen. Number 230 to be exact. What an odd coincidence.

 

[Hamzah]

I wonder if anyone from Barcaforum has met in real life?

 

[LordLichtenstein]

Get twitter and message him?

I might do that, thanks

Seriously? I used to live in the appartments with the DøgnNetto just next to Svanemøllen. Number 230 to be exact. What an odd coincidence.

I live right on the corner of Østerbrogade and Jagtvej, so yeah, we lived pretty close to each other.. But, you just haaad to move didn't you.

 

[Hamzah]

I was not trolling earlier on, incase anyone thought that. I saw some replied to my post but it was deleted by the time I saw it so must have pissed someone off. I am just frustrated that messi didn't do more and returned to first half of 2014 mode.

 

[Trickykid]

I live right on the corner of Østerbrogade and Jagtvej, so yeah, we lived pretty close to each other.. But, you just haaad to move didn't you.

Ah, just by Fælledparken. Great area... Especially when they're done with the damned Metro-byggeri.
Yeah, wife and I have to kids, so we figured it was about time we got a house and garden, so no more Østerbro for me. It sucks getting old - I really can't recommend it.

 

[LordLichtenstein]

Ah, just by Fælledparken. Great area... Especially when they're done with the damned Metro-byggeri.
Yeah, wife and I have to kids, so we figured it was about time we got a house and garden, so no more Østerbro for me. It sucks getting old - I really can't recommend it.

Exactly

Now i'm curious, how old are you?

 

[Trickykid]

Exactly

Now i'm curious, how old are you?

Late thirties - 37.

 

[Beast]

Maradona was protected at big tournaments. Just from the clip below:

- a player gets a yellow for tackling the ball
- Maradona gets the free kick from a shooting distance after Robben-esque dive with hands up the air
- milks a yellow card for the defender after falling on the ground and holding his face during a free kick set up (his face doesn't appear to be hit)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk1iRg4Xt-M


Spot on. A quote from Van Basten:

Will never enter this debate in Messi thread because it brings all sorts of unwarranted posts with people high on emotions however you couldn't be more wrong.. you & the Don... if Messi got the treatment on the pitch Maradona get he would probably retire by now.. that little Bastard had quite a strong muscle to protect him.. you want to see the real tackles.. see the Italy-Argentina game in 1986 and Maradona in WC 1982...or better yet the famous Goikoetxea-Maradona when he was playing for you ..the former was named the "Butcher of Bilbao for a very valid reason.. he knew where to hit you & take you out completely... an artist in injuries and almost cut Maradona career short (mind you the little god did retaliate a year later in the copa final & it was his last game in Barcelona shirt hehehe )
The Don had it wrong in terms of defense as well because back than the trend was man marking not zonal marking or team marking so you have two players on Maradona full time in the WC final and solid WC man markers like Claudio Gentile taking Maradona out and others like Zico .. those were the finest defenders of all time.. that era had them all in from Gentile to Baresi to Bergomi , Butcher etc and guess what you could get away with murder without any red card sometimes not even a yellow.. this went on until the rules was changed after Van Basten himself had his career cut short due to similar intentional injuries by defenders...

bare in mind man marking was not what we have now.. it was really stick to your man wherever he goes ... below is the Gentile Vs Maradona in WC 1982 second group stages tie (the group of death Brazil-Italy & Argentina ) and see what Gentile (wearing no 6) did



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk1iRg4Xt-M


Now i want you & Don to see this & tell me how many of those would have been a yellow /red if it was played now ? 5 ? 10 red cards ? would Messi even make it unharmed ?

You guys watch some small highlights and think you've seen it... trust me you didn't.. it was blood out there and as i said the refs & the rules allowed it...
I was young but those where the best WC's i've seen from the amount of competition offered by so many strong teams ...

 

[Golazo]

The treble and a copa silver medal. (Trying to find the positive in this painful loss)