I really don't understand why people are desperate to make excuses for Messi when he really doesn't need them. Where does this idea come from that he needs to play in a team at the very top of its game to be successful, and if he doesn't then he can fail and be exempt from criticism? It's as if people think that every great player has played in a team that was consistently at the top of its game in every tournament they played. Do people really think that Brazil in '58, Germany in '74, Argentina in '86 or even a team like France in 2006 were all-conquering with every player at the top of their game and playing brilliant football? Without Pelé in '58 it's entirely conceivable that they could have failed to get past Wales in a tough quarter final never mind the rest of the tournament. Have a look at the
state of the pitch that Germany in '74 played in when they came up against Poland in what was essentially the semi-final. It's simply impossible to play at your very best in those conditions and if they had lost that game against a strong Polish team it would have been Poland in the final and not them. Argentina in '86 even with Maradona's moments of genius v England were inches away from taking the game to extra time and every game was a struggle, which is what made Maradona's performances all the more impressive. Zidane dragged them through the knockout stages in 2006 and knitted that team together incredibly well despite their obvious flaws.
People talk about Beckenbauer's Germany and Bayern sides of the early 70s as if they were this miraculous team that just somehow came together, played amazing football and clicked in some inexplicable way. Part of that is true. They were a collection of tremendously talented players and they did click, but like any team they did not always play amazing football and when they struggled to play at their very best, it was these players that drove them to success regardless. It was the likes of Cruyff, Pelé, Beckenbauer and Maradona that were the glue in their teams. Germany in 1972 played with a swagger, verve and even nonchalance that saw them light up the Euros in a way that arguably hasn't been matched since. In 1974 however they weren't this all-conquering German-style total football team, they were efficient and effective and right the way through the tournament they managed to exert their superiority against every level of opposition they came up against - culminating of course in that match against the Dutch. For me it goes without question that without Beckenbauer they simply wouldn't have been able to do that. Despite not being at their best they were always the better team and that is down to having a player like Beckenbauer that simply dominated the opposition.
Messi himself is in a tremendously talented team, it's just that they haven't been able to turn all that talent into a great team. The managers are part of that, obviously, but I don't agree that they're the ones who are solely responsible for it. Brazil sacked their manager less than a year before the World Cup despite winning every one of their qualification games and with only a few months and a handful of games for Zagallo to prepare, a lot of the responsiblity for the performances at the 1970 World Cup actually fell upon the senior players. Carlos Alberto, Pelé, Gérson and co. had a huge amount of influence in the camp and were recognised as an extension of the management team, on and off the pitch. This is similar to what is going on with Argentina now. Sabella, like Zagallo, is reponsible for the organisational side of things but the senior players have an important role in terms of the motivational aspect and how to deal with things on the pitch - tactically, emotionally, physically etc. International management is very different for this reason and it's the reason why you see the likes of Susic, Wilmots or Maradona as international managers and recognised as figureheads of the team - motivators and people who manage the personalities in the group - but not necessarily coaches or tacticians. There are hundreds of international managers who are poor club managers because the expectations and requirements are just completely different. Many international managers are hired in part due to the fact that they were famous ex-players for that nation because that alone gives them the clout and respect needed to bring this selection of players together as a group for this short period of time.
The players at international level therefore have a much greater role in terms of their influence on tactics and how the team expresses itself in the tournament itself. That's where these really great players come to the fore - they're the organisers and leaders
as well as the most gifted and influential individuals in the team. That's why people look at international football and the World Cup as something that great players need to conquer. It's got nothing to do with whether the World Cup or the Champions League is the pinnacle of football, it's to do with the fact that international football poses a completely different set of obstacles to overcome. Most of the best players of all time have played in incredibly well-oiled, well-drilled club sides that had few or no flaws and so were able to express themselves fully. You can buy players to fill those gaps in your squad so that there are no severe weaknesses. This is of course true of Messi and Barcelona - when given the platform to play at his very best he is clearly untouchable. In international football you have to deal with lopsided teams and find a way to bind everything together to overcome those issues, and you have to play with a group of players that you only see about once a month outside of international tournaments. The camaraderie, the team spirit, the organisation, the mutual understanding - it all has to come together in a short period of time, and you need these players to help that come to fruition. That's one of the huge fundamental differences to club football. Then of course there's the unique physical issues that each player has to deal with when playing so much football in such a short space of time.
This is the sort of thing that Xavi did. He was a leader of the Spanish side, he was able to exert his influence on the game in 2008, 2010 and 2012. He was played ahead of the double pivot in a position which clearly isn't his best, he played with a chronic Achilles injury and in spite of these obstacles he was able to stamp his mark on the team. In 2012 their strikers were all injured or out of form and yet they still managed to win the tournament relatively comfortably, with Xavi the MOTM in one of the most one-sided finals in history. With Xavi gone they still retain possession brilliantly but they look comparably toothless. He is not the sole reason for that but clearly he was the key cog in their side, the leader and the glue in that side. They have a tremendously talented squad but they are not a great team, and that's why someone like Xavi is so important at this level. He excelled at club and international level in the same way the likes of Pelé and co. did. Up until now I don't think you can say that about Messi. He hasn't been the glue of this Argentina team and he hasn't been able to lead his international side in the way the others did. If anything that has been Mascherano.
