Lionel Messi - v7

[Messigician]

Something is definitely going on in Barcelona right now with Messi.

Title says: This is my home and I don't want to leave, but I want to win

Also one of the quotes he says that he doesn't know if Barca truly did their best to bring Neymar back.

It's a power play from Messi. He's come out pubicly and said the club didn't do enough to bring back Neymar.

His entourage leaked the contract details opening up the possibility of him leaving as he " wants to win"

Neymar Sr said Neymar's friends are the ones who persuaded Neymar to want to leave and that the negotiations arent over.

What Messi is doing is putting immense pressure on the board to go all in for Neymaras its clear we didn't do everything possible to bribg him back.

It's also clear that Messi blames Dembele for the loss and wants him replaced. When Messi played Neymar 1 on 1 in the Bayern game in the second treble winning finishing. Neymar cooly scored past the finest sweeper skeeperand nutmeged him.

In the Liverpool game first legal 2 clear chances were set up for Dembele who squandered both, either of them would have killed the tie off. Just look at Messi's reaction jd falls to the ground in disbelief at Dembele's miss even Pique would have scored that he's thinking.

Messi doesn't blame EV as he knows and sees all the missed chances in both legs that would have buried both Roma and Liverpool ties yet it's the players who missed, how can anyone blame EV for the missed chances? If they had Neymar we would have won 2 back to back trebles Messi is thinking.
And now the board expects me to carry them again?

I'm getting old every season it takes me longer to recover. Screw you guys I'm going on vacation to fully heal up while you get F***** serious about winning everything, take the loadnkf me and bring in my true Heir Neymar back not this fraud Dembele.

I am 90% certain this is what's going on with Messi.

 

[snowy]

woaaaah is this legit? To be so vocal, this is huge for someone like Messi.

For the Valv thing, I'm pretty sure he and the others realise he sucks as a coach. Always suspected the reason he gave him support during that presser was that he also felt the players screwed up big time and basically, it was against his code to throw the coach under the bus whilst he was getting crucified on social media. Might sound silly but call it an honour thing. Notice how he didn't blame any of the players in particular and immediately included himself in the whole group despite being one of the top performers in the CL and in Anfield along with Vidal.

As for questioning the board, I can see it since they're not fighting in the same arena as his teammates but rather, he can perceive them as the money men / suits. Anyhoo, just a theory (・_・ヾ

 

[Barcilliant]

If Messi can't see that Valverde is the problem....

We've added two super stars to the squad.

The main problem is Valverde. If Valverde stuck to his guns and played the football he believed in I'd have more respect for him.

 

[Canadian Cule]

If Messi can't see that Valverde is the problem....

We've added two super stars to the squad.

The main problem is Valverde. If Valverde stuck to his guns and played the football he believed in I'd have more respect for him.

Other than his price tag, nothing about Dembele makes him a superstar.

As for why Leo backed Valverde publicly, it’s possible that

1) He thinks Valverde is a decent coach and that the players are the problem
2) He didn’t want to publicly undermine the manager
3) Barto asked him to and Leo agreed (maybe in exchange for Neymar)

It’s also possible that Messi likes Valverde because he’s a doormat and doesn’t care if it hurts the team’s chances but there are more innocent explanations.

 

[xXKonan]

Alright, let us give Messi what he wants and that is Neymar.

If we still fail in the CL even with that I don't want to hear any excuses from him at all. Either he knows Valverde isn't good enough to be our manager and thinks maybe having extra firepower and pure talent can win this shit by limiting the dangers Valverde imposes on the team or he has some delusional idea that getting Neymar will somehow solve everything and prove Valverde is the perfect coach for us.

Getting Neymar can help but it won't fix Valverde's massive flaws, he will just find a way for us to get blown the fuck out in the CL again while having an expensive ass Front line again.

 

[Ritchie]

Even with Neymar we lost 4-0 to PSG and then hammered at Juve which we couldn't turn around.

There's more fundamentally wrong when these thrashings happen every season in CL ties.

The team is too old and slow.

 

[Canadian Cule]

Alright, let us give Messi what he wants and that is Neymar.

If we still fail in the CL even with that I don't want to hear any excuses from him at all. Either he knows Valverde isn't good enough to be our manager and thinks maybe having extra firepower and pure talent can win this shit by limiting the dangers Valverde imposes on the team or he has some delusional idea that getting Neymar will somehow solve everything and prove Valverde is the perfect coach for us.

Getting Neymar can help but it won't fix Valverde's massive flaws, he will just find a way for us to get blown the fuck out in the CL again while having an expensive ass Front line again.

Neymar would improve our CL chances but I'd be worried about how much stick we'll get in the likely scenario that we still don't win it. Our current Cl odds are 5/1 which equates to around 15%. If we sign Neymar, maybe that goes closer to 25% but that still leaves a 75% chance we don't win the Cl and then have to suffer through all the embarrassment and stick about spending like 600m on attackers (Coutinho, Dembele, Griezz, Neymar) and still not winning the Champions League. If we're gonna throw crazy money at it, I would rather have gone for 3-4 players like Eriksen, Alves, a top centerback, and then another attacker.

I don't mind Messi getting involved in team decisions if it's for the good of the team, but this Neymar thing feels more like him and Suarez wanting their friend back rather than some careful plan to get us back to the top of European football.

Even with Neymar we lost 4-0 to PSG and then hammered at Juve which we couldn't turn around.

There's more fundamentally wrong when these thrashings happen every season in CL ties.

The team is too old and slow.

Exactly

Compared to City or Liverpool, we look like one of those retired legends teams that you see playing in those charity markets.

 

[snowy]

Exactly

Compared to City or Liverpool, we look like one of those retired legends teams that you see playing in those charity markets.

Let's sign Gordon Ramsey and make him our new Captain Puyol He'll cook us storm and yammi escudellas to boot!

Pistolero to get kiddie portions, lest he performs. That'll get him scoring new records jajaja

 

[Tackle]

[tw]1172053917062111232[/tw]

Exceptional mentality.

Unfortunately cannot say the same about most "fans."

 

[El Flaco]

[tw]1172061030941433857[/tw]

 

[EdmondDantes]

"The coaching staff had nothing to do with the game we played"


Says Messi about the guy who fielded 2 midfielders who have zero press resistance with the other midfielder who now shows he needs technical players beside him to not expose his flaws.


Against the relentless pressing machine that is Liverpool Football Club under Klopp. Our inept midfield got smothered, we got smothered and humiliated yet again....


Not the coach's fault...

Messi's enabling persona is unbearable at times.


He may as well say: "I like Valverde and want him to continue here because he doesn't bench my mates, and we call the shots in the dressing room anyway".

 

[The Observer]

I have 2 things to add to this:

First: Messi is 32 now, he can't play these power play games anymore. If he doesn't like something and maybe even leaves now, no big issue. At 32 he got maybe 2 more seasons in him and doesn't guarantee Barca a CL trophy.

3 figure transfer fee + getting rid of his 100m wages p. a. or 2 more seasons of Messi? Worth considering at this point.

I was absolutely in favour of Neymar from the beginning no matter if it meant losing Dembélé because Neymar is easily the 2nd best player in the world whereas Dembélé had 1 good season in a garbage league with spaces everywhere and is perma injured ever since. Come next season he might even be the best. Time is not on Messi's side whereas Neymar is in his physical prime. But to come out publicly like this that Barca did not try hard enough when Barca made serious bids around € 170m and included players like Dembélé, Rakitic and Todibo? Here is an idea: Go on and sacrifice 1 year worth your wages and tell your body Neymar to do the same if you are both so desperate about it. Then Barca can pay the demanded € 300m to PSG, no probs.

Second: The state of the people here suggesting the guy who does not want to miss a single game, visits the training center in his free time and practiced and perfected his freekicks at over 30 years of age to become almost as deadly at them as if they were penalties just wants to chill out with his friends and have it easy. Like Messi is afraid of a new coach. The absolute state of the people here, Jesus Baby Christ. Go out and get laid. It's obvious from the amount of time some people spend in here even when there are no Barca games for weeks that they haven't seen a naked women in years (or never). It's not healthy.

 

[FCBarca]

I think it became clear even under Lucho that the 'tactics' only needed to involve servicing the attacking trident and only natural he doesn't point to Valverde as a problem. Messi is a genius but he's above the tactical part of the game, unfortunately his teammates are not

I'm a bit more concerned about how a Grade I calf strain has him out for more than 5 weeks and no timetable for his return

 

[Barcaman]

Down to earth and everything and I am really happy that he intends to retire here.

Still, his comment about Valverde having nothing to do with CL debacles is disappointing. What does this mean? Players decide? Manager is here for what?

 

[JohnN]

My take on all this is that Messi will not throw anyone under the bus, thus his Valverde comments and support. This applies to his teammates too, whom I believe holds more responsible for the CL exit, but will never say a bad word about them.

I can't see a power play from his side, as he is 32 and as reported, could leave anytime he wanted anyway.

He doesn't seem to blame Dembele at any point. Remember that Suarez and Alba missed really good chances at Anfield too and they are his pals. He has missed good chances himself in the past. He is not so thick to blame the CL disaster game on a 22 year old who didn't even play. His comments on Dembele are pretty clear and similar to what others have said already.