You know I don't give a flying fuck what majority in here thinks of me. I am not running for president to need to be popular. Thanks for engaging, I also engage with you because you at least try to debate, and do not resort to cliches
Now to the point:
- I posted a clip that in the first 3 minutes shows countless times of prime Messi not passing, but running via dribble in congested areas among many players. I claim current Messi can't do that, and you still haven't provided me with one counter-example. I watched YT highlights vs Colombia and Porto, did not see even 1 instance of that. When you find counter-examples, come back to talk about it
- How dribbles are calculated by stat companies: if you statically kick the ball through or around a player, it counts as a successful dribble. Doesn't matter if the next sec he is again ahead of you (and you essentially cannot take him on).
- I know very well passing is faster than running. My point is that prime Messi receiving in such situations like against PSG with such open space would finish the play himself. I claim he can't do it now, that's why he passes. Not because passing is faster. I have watched almost all of Barca games when Messi was around, and I know very well what he was doing, and he was doing that all the time...
PS: I can give you more aspects, like his shot power and precision that have declined, and of course his acceleration. The only essential aspect that I see the same in him is his vertical pass and through-ball. And the static ones (free-kicks for instance, or pens).
But there is no point in doing such a detailed discussion if we can't agree to the basics.
You don't watch Messi objectively, you inflate and idolize his current version.
You can't even admit what you see with your eyes
