scored only two goals, the slacker
Lionel Messi
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Was brilliant today but his 2 goals were more of a highlight rather than being the bulk of his contribution. He seemed more hungry, inspired, committed and was even willing to track back at times and won the ball or smartly stopped the flow of the opposition's attack with sly fouls at times. He was terrific with his passing as usual.
I know he scored 41 goals last season but when you judge him by his own special standards he was rather insipid, tepid and demotivated at times(at Atletico in CL for eg). That wasn't the case today and I guess its safe to say the old Messi is back on the back of this match alone. Still curious to see how he will fare alongside Suarez and Neymar.
I know he scored 41 goals last season but when you judge him by his own special standards he was rather insipid, tepid and demotivated at times(at Atletico in CL for eg). That wasn't the case today and I guess its safe to say the old Messi is back on the back of this match alone. Still curious to see how he will fare alongside Suarez and Neymar.
With better finishers in Suarez & Neymar, he would've had a few more assists tonight too. Looks very motivated which is the best news going into the season
Reckon it's going to be a tasty La Liga season....again.
Apparently Messi has scored 2 goals on the opening day of the last 4 seasons.
Indeed. He worked hard and seems fitter and has that hunger/desire back it seems.
Looked like the Messi of 2-3 years ago at times. Good news.
Credit to Luis Enrique, he had Barca on a very rigorous fitness based pre-season schedule with double sessions. Seems to have sharpened everyone up.
Messi is back..
They deffo did look a different team in that respect last night.
I've a feeling its ultimately more of a mental thing than a physical one.
Definitely did, but they destroyed Levante on the opening day last weekend and went on to have a (relatively) poor season so too early to say yet.
Excellent performance, MOTM
He looks sharper.
He was amazing, and this performance for me highlights the difference between him and Ronaldo, he provides for others, he makes other players better, he contributes in the build up play. He could easily be the playmaker in the team.
He is the playmaker, IMO
Yeah, he looks a bit more fit, looks happier and best of all his energy/effort has been different thus far. Still not 100% IMO but I think it's important to remember this squad is still pretty early in its transition under Lucho - plus, there's still no Suarez, Mats or 100% Neymar
Loved the assist for the second goal. Made it all look so simple.
I don't think it left his left foot the entire dribble from the moment he received the return pass from Sergio
Has he gained a bit of weight? He looks stockier. Could be the loose shirt.
Yeh what a fat git, sell him to Chelsea!
I've just watched that and if that is MOTM then everybody else must have been really poor. Messi got 2 assists and influenced the game ultimately where it matters but those highlights show how he made an incredible amount of poor choices throughout and I'm not just saying that to be difficult or pro Ronaldo. Just being objective. Looks much fitter and showed a far greater work rate but Bilbao force that upon the opposition too. When you play them, their style means you have to sink or swim.
He does look better, at the world cup he looked physically and mentally shot, but still did pretty well, a testament of what a great player he is. Hopefully he can bring back that energy and see the best of him again.
He's still an unbelievable footballer, he is still capable of producing magic no other player on this planet can replicate. Don't think there is a more complete player, he is just about incredible at everything from a football perspective. That being said he has declined severely recently, don't quite know why. Might have to do with the fact that the stats and performances he was producing just weren't human, 91 goals in one season
He's still an unbelievable footballer, he is still capable of producing magic no other player on this planet can replicate. Don't think there is a more complete player, he is just about incredible at everything from a football perspective. That being said he has declined severely recently, don't quite know why. Might have to do with the fact that the stats and performances he was producing just weren't human, 91 goals in one season
His dip in form has coincided with the off field tax issues he's been having along with the injuries. To me looks like a combination of playing too many games, injuries and off field problems.
I think he has a good case for being MOTM of that game, yes. Only other ones that come to mind would be Rakitic and maybe Gurpegi. I don't really agree with your assessment -- it wasn't some brilliant performance, but still pretty great. His playmaking influence was present throughout the entire game. He set up 6 decent shooting chances (2 of which resulted in goals) + had a couple of other dangerous situations which he created ("pre-assist" to Iniesta who overhit an easy square ball for a tap-in, through ball to Munir who miscontrolled it). "Incredible amount of poor choices"? By Messi's previous standards maybe, and even then I'm not so sure you're talking about "poor choices" so much as "poor execution" in some moves.
In the 1st half, Messi created three very decent chances for Munir who failed to take any of them; in the 2nd half he created two good chances for substitute Neymar and they resulted in two goals. Had the latter started the game or had Suárez been available instead of an 18-year old with 4 senior games under his belt Messi could've perhaps had a couple more assists.
With a username like FC Ronaldo, its not hard to tell why you have the opposite of an objective opinion RE: Messi and that performance. He created close to double digits in clear cut chances in that game and assisted 2. He would have assisted more had his teammates not spoiled so many chances to score.
When a player does this and people still criticise him, you know we're talking about messi.
Indeed. Take Di María's performance v QPR for example, in terms of quality and impact it was around the same level as Messi's v Athletic IMO, yet the reaction is so markedly different (although there's other factors involved of course, like this being a Utd forum first and foremost and after last season it's certainly understandable -- in any case the high praise of Di María is justified so far, he was excellent against both Burnley and QPR I thought). The most significant difference is of course that for Messi that kind of a performance is almost pedestrian.
Exactly
You can never tire of watching him. Has started the season in exceptional form. 5 games into the season and he has 3 goals and 6 assists in all competitions if I'm not mistaken. Was excellent today and even managed to miss a penalty. His passing is just so bloody crisp... Well it cheered me up a bit after that match.
The fact that he has been involved in 75% of Barca's goals this season makes it even more impressive. What a player.
Simply the best.
Better than all the rest.
Assists are the new black. Let's see if he can crack 90 in a year.
Best. Player. All. Time.
Better than anyone, anyone I ever met
I know I shouldn't but a certain Diego says hi.
He can say hi all he likes. Doesn't make him better than messi.
And here. We. Go.
Messi vs Diego is the new Messi vs Ronaldo.
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