With their size they'd probably be pushing for Europe.
Lionel Messi
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I would hardly call unpredictable flight path "random wobbles" as it's not like the ball are filled with lead to cheat like cheating dice.
Afterall everyone uses the same ball and I think the QC nowadays ensures every ball (of the same model) to be near enough identical.
The fact many modern balls can move/wobble so much in the air introduces an element of luck into the equation. That's not really a positive step in my mind.
It's changed goalkeeping so that keepers don't catch any more since they can't trust the flight, van der Sar nearly got caught out the other day with a fairly innocuous shot that swerved late. I suspect they're doing it to make the game 'more exciting' since they proved in Euro 2008 that they can produce a ball that flies reasonably true
Messi is clearly going drunk with power.
If i want to slap you, i'll slap you.
fecking disgrace, ban him.
lolcakes.
Only a few years ago it was hard to imagine anyone at Stoke with a more foreign name than Saddlecock, but it's all change now, anything could happen
saddle...cock....
shocking performance
If you're going to beat Barca you need to keep Messi that quiet. Still alot of nice touches but little penetration in his play.
True but it allowed Iniesta to do his thing, Messi seemed a bit concerned with scoring, he should have just let it come natural to him.
For me the only way to deal with Messi is to cut off his supply lines. Like Chelsea did in last season's semi final in Europe. As seen in the Argentina shirt, without the best supply he is naturally far less dangerous.
The best way to deal with him is just to gang up on him, he's a player whose main attribute is attacking space with the ball, you have to give him as little of this as possible, every time he moves around to find freedom, make sure the players on the other side stick to the script.
But Barcelona is a team, and just like against Chelsea last year, Messi passed the ball to Iniesta who had all the space in the world to score a goal. That's the problem, how do you go about making tactics for Messi and THEN making plans for the rest of the Barca team??
But Barcelona is a team, and just like against Chelsea last year, Messi passed the ball to Iniesta who had all the space in the world to score a goal. That's the problem, how do you go about making tactics for Messi and THEN making plans for the rest of the Barca team??
The Argentine team utilize him differently. They recognize that he will be double marked and seen as the main threat and in the last 2 or 3 games they have gotten the ball to him at which point he is hassled by 2 or 3 players and will pop it off to Veron who will switch it to the left wing where there is a tonne of space.
It is not getting the best out of Messi but has worked, he is sacrificed for the team.
You defend from the front. Most teams prefer to put men behind the ball vs Barca. Which is wrong for it concedes space to them. The best is to first put pressure on their defenders with your strikers. Then put it on in midfield, especially on the holding player, then play high with the defence to reduce space Messi has to run on to the ball and start a dribbling run. Just like Barca do. But most teams are so afraid of them they've lost long before they've stepped on pitch and just willingly concede space to them once a game starts. Which is why Barca almost always win. Unless a team is lucky like the Russians were at the Nou Camp.
The truth is Argentina now use him in the cagey fashion Maradona was used in the 1990 world cup. Which got them to the final then. He is the decoy for the other dangers in the team. He thrived better in the possession keeping previous Argentina system but sadly that system left them more vulnerable to Arsenal type humblings. For me if they can become more coordinated in their play at the world cup, Messi like he did at the under 21 world cup in that role, will be a whole new headache for teams to face. At senior level teams are yet to witness the damage he can do from a central area consistently.
It'll be interesting. The resources Argentina have are frightnening yet they cant seem to get it together. Of course i put it down to Maradona. He doesnt seem to pick his best players or devise a system to get the best out of his best players.
Aguero cant get in the team. Riquelme falls out with him (cnut for doing that) and he leaves out players like Cambiasso and Samuel whilst giving players in the argentine league a chance it's all very bizarre.
I still have no hope for them, they need a great manager to be a great team.
Aguero cant get in the team. Riquelme falls out with him (cnut for doing that) and he leaves out players like Cambiasso and Samuel whilst giving players in the argentine league a chance it's all very bizarre.
I still have no hope for them, they need a great manager to be a great team.
Messi's best form for Argentina was when Riquelme used to play, they clearly lack his creativity with lads like Masherano and Veron in the center, I just wonder what happened
Why do Barca get to wear their WCC shield thing in La Liga?...Why weren't we?
YES!! Birmingham have just scored!!!!!!!
...sorry
YES!! Birmingham have just scored!!!!!!!
...sorry
So essentially it is Maradona's fault that Messi isn't as good as him....
Good post pete
isnt as good as who?
Maradona
Maradona will prove your wrong. For my money he was right to dump out the likes of Riquelme.he team needed thick skinned individual when it was going through serious upheaval. Not over sensitive okes.
For Cambiasso, he simply failed to shine in his recent call ups and was deservedly replaced by Veron who is having one hell of an Indian summer. While Samuel can be done without. He is one very overated center half.
& when they beat Germany recently showed he is working towards something good for Argentina come June. T
I fully expect them to surprise everyone like Germany and Brazil did in 2002. A fsemi place or final place IMO wont be beyond them. The only things I believe now missing for them is adding Milito to the center of defence instead of Heinze and getting Banega and Pastore places on the plane to SA.
Change of style. They now player typical Seria A football of the 80's. Hold the ball, be cagey and physical, hit on the counter, use your main star as a decoy to hide the other dangers in the team.
Milito truly has come back strong from his veryyyyy long lay off, makes me even forget Barca spent all that money for a defender in the Summer.
I wonder if he'll turn up in the 2nd leg. That was pathetic tonight.
He went Messing
Was Messi even on the Bench for today's game?
FV, was he man of the match?
Shame about Messi, was hoping see an all star team. Hopefully he'll play on the return leg.
The first 15-20 minutes he was there, even looked it Pep had made a good decision regarding his position. Then he decided Arshavin should never leave alone.
Ronaldo is a better player no doubt about that
Missed the match, did Messi go MIA against a English team as usual?
Yes.
Chief, Cambiasso hasn't started a match for Argentina since 2008. He's a beast of a midfielder and should be in the starting line-up, never mind the squad.
Maradona ... long way until he deserves to mentioned alongside him.
Could someone show me a top player who hasn't been accused of going missing in big games occasionally?
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