By Diego Simeone
Lionel Messi’s genius decided an evenly disputed match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich on Wednesday. He is an extraordinary footballer and after the game, much was written and said about whether there is a system to stop him.
But it’s not as simple as that.
Barcelona played a fantastic first 15 minutes against Bayern and had two great chances in that spell – one through Dani Alves and the other with Luis Suarez. The same thing then happened in the last 15 minutes. It’s not only Messi, however – it’s Barcelona.
Suarez gives Barca the aggression that is so important in the attacking third; Neymar is there to finish off a counter-attack, an individual action or a collective move; the presence of Ivan Rakitic makes Barca more aggressive in midfield and in winning the ball back; Javier Mascherano in defence is everywhere; Gerard Pique has been immense this year; and the full-backs attack constantly.
Lionel Messi in the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League
Barcelona are a unit and in that unit, the individual talent of Lionel obviously stands out – but he wouldn’t be able to do it without the support of his team-mates.
The presence of Suarez and Neymar – in his second season – has helped him. He has the support of the entire team. Rakitic has given Barca extra stability in midfield and is a different option to players like Xavi and, previously, Thiago. The attacking potential of Suarez is an added plus for Barca – and for Lionel – this season and his aggression, along with that of Pedro and Neymar, allows Messi to take advantage of that sacrifice from his team-mates.
At Atletico Madrid we played Barcelona six times last season and Messi did not score in those matches. But Lionel is enjoying a great season this time around. Perhaps last year he was not at the consistent level he has been at in 2014-15. Right now he is at the level we have come to expect from him over the years – and obviously that makes it very difficult for any rival that comes up against him.
While Messi has received plenty of praise, Pep Guardiola has been criticised for starting with three at the back at Camp Nou.
However, it’s all too easy to talk after the game. Pep’s priority was to gain an extra player in midfield and to win possession in that area of the pitch, but Barcelona came out strongly, pressed well and moved the ball forward quickly That meant Bayern were not allowed to play as they wanted at the beginning of the match. Nevertheless, they were right in it for almost 80 minutes of the game.
Whatever decisions we make, us coaches always look to do the best for our teams and Guardiola will do that again on Tuesday.
It will be very difficult for Bayern to come back from a 3-0 deficit – but in football you never know. Barcelona will be taking nothing for granted, while the Bayern players will be aiming to pull off an historic win.
However, Bayern will be thinking about winning the game – not about scoring three or four goals. If you focus on scoring three goals, you lose sight of the first, because you are thinking of the third.
That moves you away from the result you are looking for. But if you play with intensity and go out to win the game, football can reward you with a result that, a priori, is extremely difficult.
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