10 - Lionel Messi - v5

[Moe]

Yes Messi is the GOAT and yes Messi did a lot for this club. However, he is not doing this for free. He is getting paid a hefty sum to do this. As a matter of fact, he's getting paid almost twice as much as C.Ronaldo is.... let that sink in.

Before I get labelled as an ungrateful hater, all Im saying is that he should try harder for everything the club is giving him in return (tremendous salary, listening to his demands, signing players like Paulinho....etc).

 

[Windhook]

I don't blame him more than anyone else on the squad. Defence and midfield had one job - to keep clean sheet.

 

[JamDav1982]

I don't blame him more than anyone else on the squad. Defence and midfield had one job - to keep clean sheet.

Didnt even need to keep a clean sheet. Was much easier job than that!

 

[Afromaticz]

Messi’s performance last night was absolutely disgusting. His lack of effort when it really matters is somethin that has been bothering me for a very long time

 

[Windhook]

Didnt even need to keep a clean sheet. Was much easier job than that!

Sad but true.

 

[BarcaGirl]

Barca fans are slowly but surely turning into ARG fans lol. Blaming mostly only Messi for every single defeat. Keep it up guys

 

[JamDav1982]

Barca fans are slowly but surely turning into ARG fans lol. Blaming mostly only Messi for every single defeat. Keep it up guys

No some Barca fans get fanatical when it is pointed out Messi played poorly then lose the plot and start screaming about it not being all his fault.

 

[Judihndrx]

Messi’s performance last night was absolutely disgusting. His lack of effort when it really matters is somethin that has been bothering me for a very long time

What is a ''lack of effort'' though? Is it running around with your head under your arm trying to win the ball back? Or is it him having to drop to the middle of the field to recieve the ball and try to dribble his way up their goal every other minute? The game yesterday all came down to Ernesto Valverde and his tactics. The way he approached the game. Starting Roberto and Semedo on the right, he was basically begging Roma to put pressure on us. The squad management has been absolutely disgraceful, Messi is the player on the squad with most minutes played throughout the season (!). Tell me what other player Messi can rely on to do something other than himself, on that starting 11 from yesterday? He's the reason first in the league and still unbeaten.

We're not playing to win. We're playing not to lose under Valverde. It's unheard of with the players we have.

 

[Judoman]

The whole fucking team played poorly. It doesn t take a nuclear physicist to see that.

While Messi has a lot of credit, some of the other players don t.

The notions about him not caring or him choking are fundamentaly stupid. The whole team stops if he gets covered and that is not his fault.

 

[Raketa10]

The last time a Barça player other than Lionel Messi scored away from home in the Champions League was 560 days ago (Piqué against Gladbach in 2016) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM SPEECHLESS!

 

[eaman]

Did ye all watch the game? Messi was actually chasing people down in his area of the pitch. You can't expect him to be back defending and running all over the pitch. Each player has his own area to patrol and chase around in. You cannot blame Messi for this defeat. The midfield couldn't even get out of their own half so what is Messi supposed to do to get scoring chances. Ronaldo would have had no chance if the ball was nowhere near the opposition box and he was up on his own with Suarez. I can always tell when Messi is really up for it and he looked like he was last night especially in the first half but he had to come so deep to get the ball and he was either fouled or there was no one on his team to find. It was an absolute disastrous team effort and that was all. This is not an individual sport so leave Messi out of yere complaints coz if the team had played even a decent game he would have been decisive

 

[behindbrowneyes]

Well, it happened what always happens when things get tough and Barcelona is about to lose in CL. Players shit their pants and wait for Messi to do some magic. Thing is teams in CL are not stupid and good so they know how to stop Barcelona's ONLY creative force. Messi needs to create and finish chances all by himself. Nobody else tried to create something. Look at the balls CR receives from his team mates. Yeah, CR is on fire, but he has the support from the whole team. I don't see the support for Leo in our team when things get tough.

Getting knocked out 4 times in the last 5 years with the best player on the planet in your squad tells you a story. And this story is quite similar to a certain Argentinian one...

 

[Neymessi]

We need new players that are able to dribble players and create chances, that are willing to play risky passes, through balls, try crosses if there's an option for it, or long shots if there's space. Coutinho is already showing some of it, he doesn't try to find Messi all the time, he tries to play one-twos with other players, tries long shots or dribble through players to play a through ball.

We need someone alongside him in the middle that is able to do that and play deeper in the midfield. Don't need to be a dribbler, but have the press resistance and ability to skip past one player would be fine as long as he can create and play the pass where it should be played, actually use the player that's all alone on the flank after creating an overload.

This is why we needed neymar so bad when everyone was like, suarez is a better player and shit. Suarez can't do jack shit without service he is extremely one dimensional. If not for neymar the chances creation will suffer massively because then it will be messi trying to do it all. We should get griezmann asap. He actually knows how to play football apart from just scoring.

 

[KingLeo10]

This is why we needed neymar so bad when everyone was like, suarez is a better player and shit. Suarez can't do jack shit without service he is extremely one dimensional. If not for neymar the chances creation will suffer massively because then it will be messi trying to do it all. We should get griezmann asap. He actually knows how to play football apart from just scoring.

need a manager/midfield before anything else though. we had both messi AND neymar in 16-17 and did fuck all in away games.

 

[behindbrowneyes]

This is why we needed neymar so bad when everyone was like, suarez is a better player and shit. Suarez can't do jack shit without service he is extremely one dimensional. If not for neymar the chances creation will suffer massively because then it will be messi trying to do it all. We should get griezmann asap. He actually knows how to play football apart from just scoring.

It is not just about Neymar. I'm sure he would've been thriving under Valverde, but he is gone and we bought Dembélé and Coutinho but CL came one season too early for them. The team needs more creativity both in midfield and attack and we can only improve that in next season. There is too much pressure on Leo's shoulders. Not just this year, but in the last years, especially in CL.

I agree on Griezmann/Suárez. Luis offers too less in the game with the ball and if you look at the numbers he scores way too less in CL in the last 2 seasons. Griezmann will improve fluid ball circulation in the team while scoring not much less. What is more, he will be much better in assisting Leo in front of the goal.