10 - Lionel Messi - V6

[serghei]

Good interview. False winger. I like that.

 

[Aryagorn]

That whole part about Messi is a must read. The way and circumstances Messi won that La Liga last season is a massive achievement and Im not sure alot of people realize that.

Where is the part about last season and La Liga win?

 

[Aryagorn]

Messi: I was surprised about Cristiano, Madrid will be worse off without him



Lionel Messi said he was surprised to see Cristiano Ronaldo leave Real Madrid and believes the club is weaker as a result.


The Argentine and Ronaldo have been rivals for top European and world individual awards in recent years and the competition between the two was heightened by them playing for clubs who are arch-enemies. That changed this summer though with Ronaldo heading for Juventus.

"Obviously they (Madrid) are one of the best teams in the world, they have great players and squad but yes the departure of Cristiano from the squad makes them less strong," said Messi.

"It makes Juventus a clear favourite to win the Champions League due to the squad they had before and now with him on top. I was surprised by his decision, I did not think he would go from Madrid nor that he would go to Juventus. There were so many teams and I heard less about Juve but it is a very good team."

I wonder if CR7 would ever be able to say something positive about Leo as easily!

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

I wonder if CR7 would ever be able to say something positive about Leo as easily!

Deep down Ronaldo is insecure kid. Messi is so much more mature as a person and confident, so he can admit Ronaldo does some good things.

 

[George_Costanza]

That whole part about Messi is a must read. The way and circumstances Messi won that La Liga last season is a massive achievement and Im not sure alot of people realize that.

"In the wake of Neymar’s departure, Ousmane Dembélé’s injury and Luis Suárez’s poor form, Leo Messi was leading a Barcelona side where his third-most reliable goalscorer was Paulinho. He put the entire team on his shoulders, playing as their creative central midfielder, their dynamic no. 10 and their lethal goalscoring forward.

And he was absurdly successful in doing all of that. Messi tops just about every metric possible for the Spanish top flight.

He guided Barcelona to a remarkable title win where the club lost just once, the only game Messi didn’t play in. Yeah, that’s right, he went an entire league season without losing. He also lifted his side to win their fourth-consecutive Copa del Rey. He played magnificent and mesmeric football whilst under absurd pressure to deliver, and not only did he deliver, he did it better than anyone else.

People who champion his exclusion will point to the Champions League, where Barcelona crashed out to Roma because of Valverde’s tactical absurdity, and the World Cup, where Argentina struggled as a collective and Messi did so as an individual. But given the talent deficiencies on both the Blaugrana and the Albiceleste, Messi performed miracles to get them as far as he did."

Totally agree, we won the double mainly because of him and no one else. Without him, I really believe we would end up between 5th and 12 Liga position.

 

[serghei]

I wonder if CR7 would ever be able to say something positive about Leo as easily!

He already did. He said Messi's left foot is a bit better than his left in 2015.

 

[Aryagorn]

He already did. He said Messi's left foot is a bit better than his left in 2015.

Probably followed it up with - My right foot is the best there ever was

 

[RMU ReBorn]

"No, I meant boring in the way the teams are set up with 2 banks of 4 defending deep, not allowing any space.You saw this at the WC too, most of the teams played like this, it wasn't a great WC in terms of great football played, it was all very tight and I think that this is the way it will continue to evolve and it will get harder and harder to win games."

From his interview .

 

[RMU ReBorn]

*Another Messi interview (Different from the CatRadio one) which provides great insights into his new "false" winger role, why a 9 like Suarez is important, Jordi Alba telepathic connection and many more tactical aspects of his game.*

This is full translated interview which he gave to Ricard Torquemada, a football analyst who works for CatRadio. Thanks to (Twitter @Dianakristinne, who translated this.

*Q: "It's obvious that you enjoy playing a lot, but I've been told that you also enjoy watching football. What do you watch?"*

A: "I try to follow what I can. I focus more on our league, but I try to follow football in Argentina too, the Libertadores, even though the games are late I watch what I find on TV usually."

*Q: "Do you watch your old games?"*

A: "No, not the older ones, not the new ones. I don't like watching myself and remembering things from the past. I prefer to look ahead."

*Q: "But it's obvious that you've evolved. When you think of the first Messi that started playing with the first team and you look back at him with the maturity you have now, what do you remember? How do you think you've changed?"*

A: "I think that it's a normal process. I made my debut at 17. I played in a different position, I played a different way and with the passing of the years' football changed and my way of playing changed, how I move on the pitch, my teammates, and all this made me evolve as a player."

*Q: "Could you tell me one thing that you're especially proud of having improved in your game?"*

A: "In the last years I think I've grown a lot in terms of playing that final ball, giving assists, some are converted, some aren't, but I think that I've grown a lot in that aspect."

*Q: "I thought you'd say the use of your right foot or the free kicks. There are so many things that you've learned and worked on."*

A: "Yes, those are things I've improved as well. I feel that I've always kept growing. I always try to learn and improve things."

*Q: "And is there a thing you wish you could improve more?"*

A: "The penalties. I'd like to be more effective."

*Q: "But it's difficult to train them because of the emotional component, isn't it?"*

A: "Yes, it's very difficult. It's not the same to practice them as it is to take them in a game. There are a lot of other factors at play in a game. You can have a plan or an idea about what to do, but when the moment comes it's much more difficult to do it than it looks. The GK plays a lot into it too. Today's GKs save some penalties that the ones in the past wouldn't have. But, yeah, this is a thing that I'd like to be better at."

*Q: "Last year you played closer to Suarez with the idea that the RW would be occupied by a winger or midfielder and this year the team has gone back to a 4-3-3 with a left winger. It doesn't change your game a lot, just alters your starting point a bit."*

A: "Yes, I even like it more like this because, like I said before, teams accumulate a lot of defenders in the middle so its easier to receive the ball on the wing and then trying to go in. It's more difficult to receive it in the middle, less time and space. On the wing I get the help of the RB too, Sergi or Nelson who overlap and make the defender more confused about who to follow and we can take advantage of those seconds of indecision."

*Q: "You know that the debate about the style of the team is a continuous one here at Barça. You've been in the first team for 13 years now. Did you ever feel like the team was moving away from what you learned in the academy or was it just small alterations?If you didn't have the Barça shirt on, do you think that you were still recognizable during all these years?"*

A: "Yes, I think so. The thing is that we got so used to that Busi-Xavi-Iniesta midfield and having the ball all the time.Xavi and Andrés are no more and we have good players, but they were unique and they made our game be as beautiful as it was and they made us had the ball as much as we did. But I think that the idea and the style of the club never changed."

*Q: "You started with Rijkaard on the wing and then moved to the center with Pep and Tito and then Suarez came to play as a 9. What does he bring you, because you were used to playing without a 9 and this was a moment that changed it."*

A: "He gives me a lot. To me and the team. Knowing that he's always moving and creating passing lanes, that he's bothering the defensive line constantly, that he comes lower to receive the ball. He's always an option or makes a run so that another teammate can have more space. When we don't have the ball he's the first one to press and that makes the others behind him press too to accompany him. He gives us a lot and for me personally having him as a 9 has allowed me to return to being a "false" winger, which I like."

*Q: "You have to explain to me how the Jordi Alba connection started. Because with your speed of thought it could be a problem for the guy at the other end too. You see the space and the pass, but if the fullback doesn't see it and doesn't make the run he doesn't reach it"*

A: "To be honest I don't know how it started, but having Jordi there has been magical for me. Knowing that without even looking I can play the ball and he'll be there because he knows me perfectly and knows when I'm going to play the pass even if I don't look at him. And you add to that his control and his decision making which aren't simple things either."

*Q: "the other day he was alone in front of the GK"*

A: "I keep telling him that he should finish himself, but he prefers to give an assist. But it's true that I have a special relationship with him due to his characteristics and his physical and mental speed."

*Q: "I've always thought that what separates you from the rest is a timing thing. The moment you shoot below the legs of a defender who is trying to block it, the moment you shoot below a jumping wall, the timing of your runs. Pep once told me that in 95% of the cases when you're flagged offside the linesman is wrong and I've checked that and it's true. You're almost never offside. What's the importance of these moments when it comes to technical execution?"*

A: "It's very important and it also happens with my passes to my teammates. They know when I'll play the pass. Especially with guys like Luis or Jordi where there's more repetition. I think that the right moment is very important."

*Q: "But this is an innate thing, it's not something you can train."*

A: "Between ourselves, we get to know each other and we know when it will happen. It comes from training and games, we get to know one another. I think the right timing is very important."

*Q: "Do you like having a lot of information before the games? I know that there's a lot of staff that prepares all the details of the opposition. Do you like knowing before the game or interpreting what you see on the pitch?"*

A: "The truth is that I don't like studying the opponent before games. I know most, if not all because I've seen them play and I generally know what they do. But I prefer to discover it during the games. You can have it all analyzed before the game and then they don't do what you've prepared for."

 

[ATLBarcaFan]

Saw this quote regarding Messi's play vs Huesca, thought it was brilliant:

As journalist Santi Ovalle wrote: "Messi's performance will not go down in history but no other player is capable of a performance like that. He has normalised genius."

 

[Kul_z]

*Another Messi interview (Different from the CatRadio one) which provides great insights into his new "false" winger role, why a 9 like Suarez is important, Jordi Alba telepathic connection and many more tactical aspects of his game.*

This is full translated interview which he gave to Ricard Torquemada, a football analyst who works for CatRadio. Thanks to (Twitter @Dianakristinne, who translated this.

*Q: "It's obvious that you enjoy playing a lot, but I've been told that you also enjoy watching football. What do you watch?"*

A: "I try to follow what I can. I focus more on our league, but I try to follow football in Argentina too, the Libertadores, even though the games are late I watch what I find on TV usually."

*Q: "Do you watch your old games?"*

A: "No, not the older ones, not the new ones. I don't like watching myself and remembering things from the past. I prefer to look ahead."

*Q: "But it's obvious that you've evolved. When you think of the first Messi that started playing with the first team and you look back at him with the maturity you have now, what do you remember? How do you think you've changed?"*

A: "I think that it's a normal process. I made my debut at 17. I played in a different position, I played a different way and with the passing of the years' football changed and my way of playing changed, how I move on the pitch, my teammates, and all this made me evolve as a player."

*Q: "Could you tell me one thing that you're especially proud of having improved in your game?"*

A: "In the last years I think I've grown a lot in terms of playing that final ball, giving assists, some are converted, some aren't, but I think that I've grown a lot in that aspect."

*Q: "I thought you'd say the use of your right foot or the free kicks. There are so many things that you've learned and worked on."*

A: "Yes, those are things I've improved as well. I feel that I've always kept growing. I always try to learn and improve things."

*Q: "And is there a thing you wish you could improve more?"*

A: "The penalties. I'd like to be more effective."

*Q: "But it's difficult to train them because of the emotional component, isn't it?"*

A: "Yes, it's very difficult. It's not the same to practice them as it is to take them in a game. There are a lot of other factors at play in a game. You can have a plan or an idea about what to do, but when the moment comes it's much more difficult to do it than it looks. The GK plays a lot into it too. Today's GKs save some penalties that the ones in the past wouldn't have. But, yeah, this is a thing that I'd like to be better at."

*Q: "Last year you played closer to Suarez with the idea that the RW would be occupied by a winger or midfielder and this year the team has gone back to a 4-3-3 with a left winger. It doesn't change your game a lot, just alters your starting point a bit."*

A: "Yes, I even like it more like this because, like I said before, teams accumulate a lot of defenders in the middle so its easier to receive the ball on the wing and then trying to go in. It's more difficult to receive it in the middle, less time and space. On the wing I get the help of the RB too, Sergi or Nelson who overlap and make the defender more confused about who to follow and we can take advantage of those seconds of indecision."

*Q: "You know that the debate about the style of the team is a continuous one here at Barça. You've been in the first team for 13 years now. Did you ever feel like the team was moving away from what you learned in the academy or was it just small alterations?If you didn't have the Barça shirt on, do you think that you were still recognizable during all these years?"*

A: "Yes, I think so. The thing is that we got so used to that Busi-Xavi-Iniesta midfield and having the ball all the time.Xavi and Andrés are no more and we have good players, but they were unique and they made our game be as beautiful as it was and they made us had the ball as much as we did. But I think that the idea and the style of the club never changed."

*Q: "You started with Rijkaard on the wing and then moved to the center with Pep and Tito and then Suarez came to play as a 9. What does he bring you, because you were used to playing without a 9 and this was a moment that changed it."*

A: "He gives me a lot. To me and the team. Knowing that he's always moving and creating passing lanes, that he's bothering the defensive line constantly, that he comes lower to receive the ball. He's always an option or makes a run so that another teammate can have more space. When we don't have the ball he's the first one to press and that makes the others behind him press too to accompany him. He gives us a lot and for me personally having him as a 9 has allowed me to return to being a "false" winger, which I like."

*Q: "You have to explain to me how the Jordi Alba connection started. Because with your speed of thought it could be a problem for the guy at the other end too. You see the space and the pass, but if the fullback doesn't see it and doesn't make the run he doesn't reach it"*

A: "To be honest I don't know how it started, but having Jordi there has been magical for me. Knowing that without even looking I can play the ball and he'll be there because he knows me perfectly and knows when I'm going to play the pass even if I don't look at him. And you add to that his control and his decision making which aren't simple things either."

*Q: "the other day he was alone in front of the GK"*

A: "I keep telling him that he should finish himself, but he prefers to give an assist. But it's true that I have a special relationship with him due to his characteristics and his physical and mental speed."

*Q: "I've always thought that what separates you from the rest is a timing thing. The moment you shoot below the legs of a defender who is trying to block it, the moment you shoot below a jumping wall, the timing of your runs. Pep once told me that in 95% of the cases when you're flagged offside the linesman is wrong and I've checked that and it's true. You're almost never offside. What's the importance of these moments when it comes to technical execution?"*

A: "It's very important and it also happens with my passes to my teammates. They know when I'll play the pass. Especially with guys like Luis or Jordi where there's more repetition. I think that the right moment is very important."

*Q: "But this is an innate thing, it's not something you can train."*

A: "Between ourselves, we get to know each other and we know when it will happen. It comes from training and games, we get to know one another. I think the right timing is very important."

*Q: "Do you like having a lot of information before the games? I know that there's a lot of staff that prepares all the details of the opposition. Do you like knowing before the game or interpreting what you see on the pitch?"*

A: "The truth is that I don't like studying the opponent before games. I know most, if not all because I've seen them play and I generally know what they do. But I prefer to discover it during the games. You can have it all analyzed before the game and then they don't do what you've prepared for."

Super mature and honest. I love how he talks about busi xavi iniesta, he knows that thats the thing of past, and it was beautiful, but its time to move on.

 

[Total-Football]

Perspective is a bitch..Messi pulling the impossible week in and week out made it look very possible in the eyes of the average follower of football.. .when it comes to awards his gift is also his curse..

 

[Gaudi]

Saw this quote regarding Messi's play vs Huesca, thought it was brilliant:

As journalist Santi Ovalle wrote: "Messi's performance will not go down in history but no other player is capable of a performance like that. He has normalised genius."

Great Quote, that's why he is the best without a doubt.

 

[BusiTheKing]

Regarding the Argentina business, I think a bit of distance is probably for the best either way. Put a solid foundation together and then add him as that extra edge. The talisman. Don't build the team around him and expect him to fix all the holes.

 

[soul24rage]

Regarding the Argentina business, I think a bit of distance is probably for the best either way. Put a solid foundation together and then add him as that extra edge. The talisman. Don't build the team around him and expect him to fix all the holes.

Agreed. I hope he sits out the October and Nov. international friendlies as we have tough games there.