10 - Lionel Messi - v3

[blaugrana1987]

This I agree with. Messi is bound to lose his sharpness if he doesn't attack the box like he used to earlier or if the team doesn't provide him chances. Basically the more chances you have the better your finishing will be.

Yes but the team, even with Suarez and Neymar, can't really create much since there is no clear tactical instruction and chemistry like at Real. Real played horrible in beginning of season. Ronaldo barely hit a goal against Cordoba and he was no where to be found...But once a team with these kind of players got in their groove they started looking mighty impressive.

Lucho has done none of that...Messi can't attack the box when he has 2 players in front of him and then 4 waiting for him. He can shave two of them but he can either pass after that or try to score from unlikely position. Basically, when you are in good shape and your team is playing great the goals will come. Expecting him to score goals like at Amsterdam week in week out is unrealistic. These are not the goals Ronaldo or Costa are scoring, these are goals they score few times a year. And we expect it from him every match because team is not functioning.

 

[neo_wolf]

The thing i have noticed is that he doesnt try to chip the ball as much anymore, he used to score so many goals like that, but now he tries to shoot it through the legs.

 

[footyfan]

Yes but the team, even with Suarez and Neymar, can't really create much since there is no clear tactical instruction and chemistry like at Real. Real played horrible in beginning of season. Ronaldo barely hit a goal against Cordoba and he was no where to be found...But once a team with these kind of players got in their groove they started looking mighty impressive.

I agree with your idea but the part in bold is not entirely true. In the first game of the season, Ronaldo got a double vs Sevilla in the European Super Cup. Then he was injured for both legs of the Supercopa and only played 45 min each. Against Cordoba, he got a goal, against Sociedad he didn't play, against Atletico he scored and was one of , if not the best, players on the pitch. From the game after that, he went on his ridiculous scoring spree. He really didn't go missing this season tbf.

 

[blaugrana1987]

I agree with your idea but the part in bold is not entirely true. In the first game of the season, Ronaldo got a double vs Sevilla in the European Super Cup. Then he was injured for both legs of the Supercopa and only played 45 min each. Against Cordoba, he got a goal, against Sociedad he didn't play, against Atletico he scored and was one of , if not the best, players on the pitch. From the game after that, he went on his ridiculous scoring spree. He really didn't go missing this season tbf.

He scored penalty against Atletico and I agree, he was great in first half. Against Cordoba he did score in 92nd minute after countless misses. All Im saying is he wasn't scoring at ridiculous pace which is exactly my point. He was looking to score every minute of the match which was sick, but that was result of 3 things.

His high confidence because his team and him are playing exceptionally well, they were very well aware of their abilities. His talent as a player and of course just all around chemistry and tactical discipline of team that gives him and his teammates 10+ solid chances a game. He is bound to start scoring like nuts considering his quality...

 

[Sumlit]

That Madrid team is really firing on all cylinders right now. Even Benzema is playing great right now. I always thought he was a very good player and much maligned by Madrid fans, but he is playing really well right now. Perhaps the best on that team the last month.

Huge credit to Ancelotti constantly finding chemistry from a collections of stars and getting together every single toy Florentino fancies at the moment. They look good.

 

[CesDel]

I really don't think it's bad luck though, that's the thing. He's making the wrong decision or being too hesitant/taking too many touches/rushing it. Especially the first header, he should've waited for the ball to drop a bit because he was completely unmarked and had time (the cross was not going to flow over his head - it was a looping ball) but he mistimed it. The other day vs Celta, where the player cleared his shot on to the bar, he took extra touches to get his shot away while in the past he would've pulled the trigger earlier. These little things are the margin between a goal and no-goal.

Finishing wise, Ronaldo has been better than him for a fair bit now. But even he has his bad days like vs Liverpool on Tuesday, but they are few and far between.

Well, I have yet to see Messi finish as bad as C.ronaldo did against Ghana. I can't remember a single game where Messi was that bad at finishing.

But yes, THIS season C.Ronaldo has been a better finisher than Messi. But in every other season, Messi's finishing has been better by a mile, including last season.

 

[Flavia]

Great tactical analysis by a soci, I think he's also a coach: http://futbolpirineusenglish.blogspot.com.br/2014/11/weve-lost-2v1-and-best-messi.html

Posted here because he has some ideas to why Messi regressed.

 

[Luftstalag14]

I really don't think it's bad luck though, that's the thing. He's making the wrong decision or being too hesitant/taking too many touches/rushing it. Especially the first header, he should've waited for the ball to drop a bit because he was completely unmarked and had time (the cross was not going to flow over his head - it was a looping ball) but he mistimed it. The other day vs Celta, where the player cleared his shot on to the bar, he took extra touches to get his shot away while in the past he would've pulled the trigger earlier. These little things are the margin between a goal and no-goal.

Finishing wise, Ronaldo has been better than him for a fair bit now. But even he has his bad days like vs Liverpool on Tuesday, but they are few and far between.

You can always count on footyfan EVERY SINGLE TIME Messi doesn't score/has a bad game to come out to put Messi under the magnifying glass, analyzing every single detail to prove why Messi is such an underperforming player. Do you put other players, such as Ronaldo under this kind of scrutiny?

There is no denying that some of what you said is very true, certainly as far as today's game is concerned. However, quite a few blocked/saved shots he had in the Celta game had nothing to do with bad decisions, it could attributed only to the terrific performance of the Celta keeper.

Ronaldo is better because he is making better decisions or what, footy?

Footy, can you post the URL where you allegedly spent most of your time defending Messi to death?

 

[CesDel]

You can always count on footyfan EVERY SINGLE TIME Messi doesn't score/has a bad game to come out to put Messi under the magnifying glass, analyzing every single detail to prove why Messi is such an underperforming player. Do you put other players, such as Ronaldo under this kind of scrutiny?

There is no denying that some of what you said is very true, certainly as far as today's game is concerned. However, quite a few blocked/saved shots he had in the Celta game had nothing to do with bad decisions, it could attributed only to the terrific performance of the Celta keeper.

Ronaldo is better because he is making better decisions or what, footy?

Footy, can you post the URL where you allegedly spent most of your time defending Messi to death?

Good one

Don't you know it's never C.ronaldo's fault whenever he has a bad game. When he was shit at the WC it was because his teammates were shit and because he was injured. But unlike Messi, he didn't do it because he is a dictator. He simply did it because he is a professional, who sacrifices himself for the team. That's why C.ronaldo should not be blamed for missing 5 or 6 sitters against Ghana, sitter's that would have qualified Portugal for the next round if he would have scored. The ones that should be blamed is his teammates, simply because they could not create more than 5 or 6 sitters for him.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Good one

Don't you know it's never C.ronaldo's fault whenever he has a bad game. When he was shit at the WC it was because his teammates were shit and because he was injured. But unlike Messi, he didn't do it because he is a dictator. He simply did it because he is a professional, who sacrifices himself for the team. That's why C.ronaldo should not be blamed for missing 5 or 6 sitters against Ghana, sitter's that would have qualified Portugal for the next round if he would have scored. The ones that should be blamed is his teammates, simply because they could not create more than 5 or 6 sitters for him.

Ja. Among them, Ronaldo falling with the slightest touch is perfectly legal and that only proves Ronaldo's decision-making is leaps and bounds ahead of Messi's.

As I typed this, Ronaldo finally scored, the ball went in despite being blocked by the Rayo keeper, that shows Ronaldo knew the ball would have been touched by the keeper so he carefully and calmly calculated the angle and trajectory of the ball in the split of a second, with just the right amount of power, it went in exactly as Ronaldo had planned. THAT decision-making is unparalleled.

All hail Ronaldo!

 

[DonAK]

Look how deep Messi is here

 

[BrianSwan]

Think Messi could do with a new challenge and a change of scenery. He can't possibly do more for Barca than he has already (73 goals one season). Either that or a long break like Michael Jordan had.

 

[Flavia]

Look how deep Messi is here

I remember that... thought to myself "look, Messi playing rb".

 

[Sumlit]

Almeria a lot more organized than that disheveled mess that is Barca right now.

 

[footyfan]

Lufts, you sound mad and bitter. It's OK, I don't take it personally, I know you cant handle that Messi is getting outshined by Ronaldo nowadays.

I'd suggest you to get over it.