Messi in Miami

[GMoore23]

We've got to go for him during the MLS off season and our connection with Beckham could help. He'd be amazing for a couple of months.

He's still absolutely world class and has probably went there a season too early.

 

[Hernandez - BFA]

We've got to go for him during the MLS off season and our connection with Beckham could help. He'd be amazing for a couple of months.

He's still absolutely world class and has probably went there a season too early.

He’ll probably enjoy the downtime.

 

[That_Bloke]

We've got to go for him during the MLS off season and our connection with Beckham could help. He'd be amazing for a couple of months.

He's still absolutely world class and has probably went there a season too early.

Nah, it was the right time.

Nothing to prove, he never digged PSG anyway, Barca would have put unfathomable pressure on him, and the PL is too fast for him now. Not that he'd want to play here, mind. Miami is the perfect place for him to enjoy the sun, his life and football with his Barca pals.

Don't let the highlights fool you, he's still class, his last freekick was a thing of beauty, but what I've seen made me wonder if the matches aren't rigged. Especially that own goal from Dallas. I know it's the Leagues Cup not the MLS but the football level displayed is absolutely terrible.

 

[Black Adder]

A lot will depend on the two other U22 signings that are joining up with the squad in a week or so.

Facundo Farias, a talented 20 year old no.10 signed from Colon for 5m

And

Thomas Aviles, a very promising 19 year old CB signed from Racing Club for 6.3m

Those two, along with Diego Gomez, the other U22 midfield recruit, would make them a lot, lot better even without Messi, Alba and Busquets.

The problem right this present is that the defenders have zero passing ability to build up. They're hopelessly losing it in their own half.

For starters tactics will be really easy- give ball to Alba or Busquets, then they give ball to Messi and goal.

 

[Kinsella]

Hi Ray Hudson, I am fine thank you. And you?

Magisterial.

 

[OverratedOpinion]

Surely Apple will be making a documentary about him currently. Has anyone heard anything as I there was nothing I could find?

 

[Hoof the ball]

For starters tactics will be really easy- give ball to Alba or Busquets, then they give ball to Messi and goal.

You'd think it'd be that simple but you'd be surprised at how difficult that is. Since the other players are so poor, the opposition team is man marking and double teaming Busquets and Messi, so, Miami end up having to pass it to one of their other players, who predictably cannot make an accurate forward pass.

It's that bad.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Surely Apple will be making a documentary about him currently. Has anyone heard anything as I there was nothing I could find?

Yes, Apple have been filming for the documentary for a few months now at least.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Nah, it was the right time.

Nothing to prove, he never digged PSG anyway, Barca would have put unfathomable pressure on him, and the PL is too fast for him now. Not that he'd want to play here, mind. Miami is the perfect place for him to enjoy the sun, his life and football with his Barca pals.

Don't let the highlights fool you, he's still class, his last freekick was a thing of beauty, but what I've seen made me wonder if the matches aren't rigged. Especially that own goal from Dallas. I know it's the Leagues Cup not the MLS but the football level displayed is absolutely terrible.

Messi would be fine with the PL. Players work hard around Messi and give him the freedom to operate. If he was in the PL he'd be putting up numbers just like he does anywhere else. French football is just as vertical and transitional as the PL is, the only real difference is qualitative output.

Infact, if he played for Pep again at City, he'd absolutely piss the PL.

 

[FriedClams]

What Messi is doing with Miami is equal to or greater than what Maradona did with Napoli. hehe

 

[MexicanCowboy]

It was a really smart move from him. The level of that league is so low that he could easily dominate it for 4 or 5 years without having to do too much effort. He will likely be the first player to play 6 world cups

 

[EireRed_GS]

He had an unbelievable impact since his first game.. Miami desperately needed someone to turn their luck around.. The guy truly is a freak of nature. Unreal player

I agree with a previous comment there about us making a cheeky offer to take him during the MLS off season. .. But i think at his age he'll prob just want to chill & relax for that time.

 

[GinobiliTheGOAT]

Nah, it was the right time.

Nothing to prove, he never digged PSG anyway, Barca would have put unfathomable pressure on him, and the PL is too fast for him now. Not that he'd want to play here, mind. Miami is the perfect place for him to enjoy the sun, his life and football with his Barca pals.

Don't let the highlights fool you, he's still class, his last freekick was a thing of beauty, but what I've seen made me wonder if the matches aren't rigged. Especially that own goal from Dallas. I know it's the Leagues Cup not the MLS but the football level displayed is absolutely terrible.

Oh my god, you can’t be serious

 

[Hoof the ball]

It was a really smart move from him. The level of that league is so low that he could easily dominate it for 4 or 5 years without having to do too much effort. He will likely be the first player to play 6 world cups

The level is low, but his teammates are the very lowest of that low, so, within that reality is one hell of a challenge for him. Individually he has all the likelihood of racking up stats, but it's equally likely that (With this Miami) that if Messi scored three, Miami could easily concede four.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Oh my god, you can’t be serious

He's been on Twitter. That much is obvious. It's all over that place. Scripting, scripting.

Everyone's talking about how Miami scored an awful OG off a cross, but the same people are conveniently omitting Taylor running 50 yards to slide the ball into his own net too.

 

[Black Adder]

You'd think it'd be that simple but you'd be surprised at how difficult that is. Since the other players are so poor, the opposition team is man marking and double teaming Busquets and Messi, so, Miami end up having to pass it to one of their other players, who predictably cannot make an accurate forward pass.

It's that bad.

I wasn't serious yeah I know, will take time and some more quality players. Martinez is shot sadly, but Messi is going to have fun being underdog again and he'll enjoy himself no matter the results in this season, great for neutreal fans!

 

[WI_Red]

That's interesting to read - I'm not going to pretend I'm following it closely but if they can get their college system churning out talent a la NFL and NBA there's no reason the league won't eventually become a real powerhouse. I think the US really needs their team to have a bit of a run at the WC, that's when you start to see the momentum really ramp up.

This was the model for the first years of the league and it was a failure. College players are severely limited (by NCAA rules) in the amount of time each day they can train and in the number of competitive matches they can play. I think the only started on the US national team who played college ball is Matt Turner and maybe Miles Robinson. The path forward is for the league to mandate investment into the academies. If every team treated their academies like Dallas and Philly do the league would be in better shape.

 

[tomaldinho1]

This was the model for the first years of the league and it was a failure. College players are severely limited (by NCAA rules) in the amount of time each day they can train and in the number of competitive matches they can play. I think the only started on the US national team who played college ball is Matt Turner and maybe Miles Robinson. The path forward is for the league to mandate investment into the academies. If every team treated their academies like Dallas and Philly do the league would be in better shape.

Out of interest what is that limit and is it different to the American Football and Basketball limits?

 

[WI_Red]

Out of interest what is that limit and is it different to the American Football and Basketball limits?

No difference really, but that is not the proper comparison to make. The key is that everyone else in world football does not operate with these constraints. So, a 20yo player in Utd's academy will have 1,000's of hours more training and likely 100's of more competitive games (against higher levels of competition) than a 20yo who came through the university system here in the US.

 

[That_Bloke]

Messi would be fine with the PL. Players work hard around Messi and give him the freedom to operate. If he was in the PL he'd be putting up numbers just like he does anywhere else. French football is just as vertical and transitional as the PL is, the only real difference is qualitative output.

Infact, if he played for Pep again at City, he'd absolutely piss the PL.

He honestly wouldn't and I doubt that Pep would want a 36 years old Messi. He certainly wouldn't build his team around him as his whole system would crumble.

His vision's still the same, his footballing IQ high as ever, his freekicks deadly as ever, but the opposition's quality and the speed at which the games are played in the Leagues Cup are light-years away from the PL or any top european league. If you didn't see how much pace Messi lost and more importantly how much he space and time on the ball he's afforded there, then I can't help you. And don't come at me with the heat bs and yadda yadda. Messi fans are falling into the same trap C.Ronaldo fans fell into. You don't seem to understand that you can't win against time, and even the best have to call it a day at one point.

He made the right choice and rode into the sunset at the right time. Hopefully he can tear that league up and close his footballing career on a final, glorious chapter.

He's been on Twitter. That much is obvious. It's all over that place. Scripting, scripting.

Everyone's talking about how Miami scored an awful OG off a cross, but the same people are conveniently omitting Taylor running 50 yards to slide the ball into his own net too.

Oh boy, if you only knew.

It was honestly my first reaction. I thought that a professional footballer couldn't be that bad. I mean, the level was awful but that own goal just didn't compute. How he managed to smash it into his own net better than an attacker actually would, was so... I don't even have the words for it, that I refused to believe that it wasn't meant to go in.

 

[Joel Miller]

He honestly wouldn't and I doubt that Pep would want a 36 years old Messi. He certainly wouldn't build his team around him as his whole system would crumble. His vision's still the same, his footballing IQ high as ever, his freekicks deadly as ever, but the opposition's quality and the speed at which the games are played in the Leagues Cup are light-years away from the PL or any top european league. If you didn't see how much pace Messi lost and more importantly how much he space and time on the ball he's afforded there, then I can't help you. And don't come at me with the heat bs and yadda yadda. Messi fans are falling into the same trap C.Ronaldo fans fell into. You don't seem to understand that you can't win against time, and even the best have to call it a day at one point.

He made the right choice and rode into the sunset at the right time. Hopefully he can tear that league up and close his footballing career on a final, glorious chapter.



Oh boy, if you only knew.

It was honestly my first reaction. I thought that a professional footballer couldn't be that bad. I mean, the level was awful but that own goal just didn't compute. How he managed to smash it into his own net better than an attacker actually would, was so... I don't even have the words for it, that I refused to believe that it wasn't meant to go in.

He won the World Cup with one of the best individual showings at a WC ever only 8 months ago And that was in a side that wasn’t packed full of the world’s best players ala France. As someone else said, as long as you get legs and runners around him he’ll still do damage, he proved that mere months ago on the biggest stage of all. You clearly didn’t watch last nights game because he was actually crowded out the majority of the time he got on the ball, it was nothing like his first two games there.

I feel PL fans really severely overestimate the quality of their own league. Hs’d still got the vision, he can still pass, he can still finish. With runners around him his loss of pace isn’t that detrimental to his game, that’s what still makes him an asset. I think you forfeit a lot of credibility suggesting it might be rigged, in a game where he didn’t get much space and his own side also scored a comical own goal. It’s like these crazy deranged CR7 cheerleaders on social media!

 

[bakalhau]

He won the World Cup with one of the best individual showings at a WC ever only 8 months ago And that was in a side that wasn’t packed full of the world’s best players ala France. As someone else said, as long as you get legs and runners around him he’ll still do damage, he proved that mere months ago on the biggest stage of all. You clearly didn’t watch last nights game because he was actually crowded out the majority of the time he got on the ball, it was nothing like his first two games there.

I feel PL fans really severely overestimate the quality of their own league. Hs’d still got the vision, he can still pass, he can still finish. With runners around him his loss of pace isn’t that detrimental to his game, that’s what still makes him an asset. I think you forfeit a lot of credibility suggesting it might be rigged, in a game where he didn’t get much space and his own side also scored a comical own goal. It’s like these crazy deranged CR7 cheerleaders on social media!

People prefer to not see the logical and obvious answers with Messi and Cristiano, many times opting for what's not logical, and I never understood why. Sure it's not the same Messi as before, but it baffles me how can anyone think he couldn't perform well in the PL even at this age. Sure, 50 goals and 20 assists, maybe not, but why do Messi and Cristiano still need to score 50 goals a year to be considered useful to their teams? Ibrahimovic joined us and still performed well at 37 years. Ronaldo obviously not being the same player and having a couple bad patches, as a goalscorer 2 seasons ago, scored fantastic goals and screamers with a solid 18 PL goals, whilst being finished, putting up numbers that for most other goalscorers at their peak would be their career highlight.

Seriously, Messi couldn't come to the PL and score 15 goals and assist another 15 goals (CL included)? Would that not be useful to a team? Even with all the drawbacks of a +35 years old player (disconsidering wages for a moment, here)? It's like these 2 players are worthless unless they're hitting alien numbers each season. A very large part of PL offensive players that have come by throughout 20-30 years of the competition don't even get to hit more than 30 goal contributions per year, some of them considered great players regardless (and rightly so), but if it's Messi coming in, unless it's 50G+A, he's worthless and has no quality for the PL?

In my case I don't think it's a question of people overrating PL, it's underrating Messi as a player even at this age.

 

[Hoof the ball]

People prefer to not see the logical and obvious answers with Messi and Cristiano, many times opting for what's not logical, and I never understood why. Sure it's not the same Messi as before, but it baffles me how can anyone think he couldn't perform well in the PL even at this age. Sure, 50 goals and 20 assists, maybe not, but why do Messi and Cristiano still need to score 50 goals a year to be considered useful to their teams? Ibrahimovic joined us and still performed well at 37 years. Ronaldo obviously not being the same player and having a couple bad patches, as a goalscorer 2 seasons ago, scored fantastic goals and screamers with a solid 18 PL goals, whilst being finished, putting up numbers that for most other goalscorers at their peak would be their career highlight.

Seriously, Messi couldn't come to the PL and score 15 goals and assist another 15 goals (CL included)? Would that not be useful to a team? Even with all the drawbacks of a +35 years old player (disconsidering wages for a moment, here)? It's like these 2 players are worthless unless they're hitting alien numbers each season. A very large part of PL offensive players that have come by throughout 20-30 years of the competition don't even get to hit more than 30 goal contributions per year, some of them considered great players regardless (and rightly so), but if it's Messi coming in, unless it's 50G+A, he's worthless and has no quality for the PL?

In my case I don't think it's a question of people overrating PL, it's underrating Messi as a player even at this age.

It's insane. The man registered 62 G+A's in 2022/23. That's 1 more than Haaland; and even if we source from Ligue 1, he still had more than Mbappe in that regard too, and Mbappe is in his peak!

 

[bakalhau]

It's insane. The man registered 62 G+A's in 2022/23. That's 1 more than Haaland; and even if we source from Ligue 1, he still had more than Mbappe in that regard too, and Mbappe is in his peak!

All good, he's washed up! I mean, I'm not saying he could swoop up the PL or reproduce the numbers from last season which were well above the 2021/2022 year which was his worst, but I'm pretty confident he could turn out a net positive during 1 season there, even now, and just find it hard to understand how this notion is so difficult for some people.

Obviously I respect their opinion and even some of their arguments do ring true - after all, he's already 36, so the negatives have grown larger, for sure.

 

[Hoof the ball]

All good, he's washed up! I mean, I'm not saying he could swoop up the PL or reproduce the numbers from last season which were well above the 2021/2022 year which was his worst, but I'm pretty confident he could turn out a net positive during 1 season there, even now, and just find it hard to understand how this notion is so difficult for some people.

Obviously I respect their opinion and even some of their arguments do ring true - after all, he's already 36, so the negatives have grown larger, for sure.

Another way to look at it is this. Let's say he joined City. How would that work out?

Bernardo, De Bruyne, Grealish, Foden, Rodri are hugely hard-working players on and off the ball. Arguably much more than PSG. So, right off the bat Messi would be surrounded by players who could handle transitions on both ends. In addition, City are masterful at possession elements of football, which helps Messi more than the front heavy PSG transitions ever did.

You could make the argument that Messi's workload would be lightened by playing for someone like Pep in the PL over and above all the vertical running he did under Pochettino at PSG. He'd be around better ball players, better tactical framework and better runs off the ball, which would almost certainly guarantee more chances for big chance creation, assists and goals. This cannot be proven now, but if the Barca move worked out, he'd have had a monster season under Xavi. As good as, or possibly even better than 22/23. He's got two years left, for sure, at the top based on the obvious observation that his qualities are not speed dependent.

 

[Eriku]

Messi literally looks like he’s enjoying himself so much more than he did at PSG, or even Barca for large parts. He’s smiling a lot, gets excited for his team mates, and obviously he’s playing as if he’s having a good time. Lovely to see, just tough to catch matches late, which I didn’t expect to find myself trying to do. A tiny taste of what United fans well away from GMT have to endure, I guess.

 

[Precaution]

I'm a Inter Miami fan so seeing Messi pulls out of the crap we've witnessed also no small part of Tito managing is heartwarming, his free kick last night was breathtaking

 

[mshnsh]

For MLS fans, this is of course amazing. But, obviously, this is essentially a preretirement move from Messi and a well thoughtout/ well deserved one too. And like for any player be it in the middle East or China, what he does there has no effect on his legacy. No need for hyperbole.

 

[Member 109952]

Somehow the defences in MLS look worse than the league 2 highlights I've been watching. How is that possible?

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Messi has definitely declined a lot. I think even after the WC itself, he's declined a bit.

I thought he left Europe too early, but I think he made the MLS move at the perfect time. He's obviously way good for that league and he'll break records if he stays fit. Perfect way to end your club career honestly. I think staying in Europe would have led to more frustrations.

 

[Plastic Evra]

I think Messi could have tried to do a Baggio at Brescia and feature in a more modest side in an European top league for maybe another season or two... That MLS deal is probably the present day most lucrative version of it.
Couldn't cut it fitness wise at the very top, IMO, apart from being a luxury sub. No slight to him, 36 is a very respectable age.

 

[Red in STL]

Im surprised how bad the MLS is rather than Saudi from this. There was a time I really thought it was going to kick on but if anything it seems worse these days?

Why, Bradley Wright-Phillips is considered a superstar in MLS, that tells you all you need to know

 

[Swoobs]

He won the World Cup with one of the best individual showings at a WC ever only 8 months ago And that was in a side that wasn’t packed full of the world’s best players ala France. As someone else said, as long as you get legs and runners around him he’ll still do damage, he proved that mere months ago on the biggest stage of all. You clearly didn’t watch last nights game because he was actually crowded out the majority of the time he got on the ball, it was nothing like his first two games there.

I feel PL fans really severely overestimate the quality of their own league. Hs’d still got the vision, he can still pass, he can still finish. With runners around him his loss of pace isn’t that detrimental to his game, that’s what still makes him an asset. I think you forfeit a lot of credibility suggesting it might be rigged, in a game where he didn’t get much space and his own side also scored a comical own goal. It’s like these crazy deranged CR7 cheerleaders on social media!

Well I kind of agree. Is he the one man wrecking machine he was in prime barca, the one who dribbles past 5 players and scores all by himself? No of course. But for a functioning team who has great off the ball positioning to maximize his vision and technique, and collective defending to cover his lack of workrate, he is still magical. He can probably still do a dribble every game if he is arsed to and if he is well conserved.

Pep’s city (and especially haaland) and him will benefit mutually. Not sure about the rest of the PL teams though

 

[FrankFoot]

I think Messi could have tried to do a Baggio at Brescia and feature in a more modest side in an European top league for maybe another season or two... That MLS deal is probably the present day most lucrative version of it.
Couldn't cut it fitness wise at the very top, IMO, apart from being a luxury sub. No slight to him, 36 is a very respectable age.

Let the man rest

He moved out of Europe so he can get out of the pressure that fans would put on him to win stuff.

Let him have fun in Miami with his family, he is 36 ffs.

 

[Sky1981]

I think Messi could have tried to do a Baggio at Brescia and feature in a more modest side in an European top league for maybe another season or two... That MLS deal is probably the present day most lucrative version of it.
Couldn't cut it fitness wise at the very top, IMO, apart from being a luxury sub. No slight to him, 36 is a very respectable age.

Why though? What does that do? He has literally nothing to prove.

It's not like Bologna could offer anything too good to refuse.

The man's retired, he's enjoying his last paychecks doing something in a city he fancy, his legacy is already cemented with the WC win

 

[Hoof the ball]

Well I kind of agree. Is he the one man wrecking machine he was in prime barca, the one who dribbles past 5 players and scores all by himself? No of course. But for a functioning team who has great off the ball positioning to maximize his vision and technique, and collective defending to cover his lack of workrate, he is still magical. He can probably still do a dribble every game if he is arsed to and if he is well conserved.

Pep’s city (and especially haaland) and him will benefit mutually. Not sure about the rest of the PL teams though

Messi had the 2nd most completed dribbles in all the top leagues in 22/23. Only Vinicius Jr finished higher......barely.

When you're 35 and no one but Vini jnr has completed more dribbles than you, then you should know that Messi is always arsed.

 

[Plastic Evra]

Let the man rest

He moved out of Europe so he can get out of the pressure that fans would put on him to win stuff.

Let him have fun in Miami with his family, he is 36 ffs.

Why though? What does that do? He has literally nothing to prove.

It's not like Bologna could offer anything too good to refuse.

The man's retired, he's enjoying his last paychecks doing something in a city he fancy, his legacy is already cemented with the WC win

Not saying he should have, merely that I think he could. It was more of a comment on where I rate his overall level than a prescription. Which I qualify as praise for a 35 years old player, Baggio was younger when he did his Bologna then Brescia stints.

Despite the stats, the flair, the brilliance and his production he wasn't really a net gain to PSG, the team was too imbalanced with him on (not just his fault that whole attack trident was an issue). Father Time is undefeated and all that.

MLS is as good a choice as any, especially at that price.

 

[Zehner]

Not saying he should have, merely that I think he could. It was more of a comment on where I rate his overall level than a prescription. Which I qualify as praise for a 35 years old player, Baggio was younger when he did his Bologna then Brescia stints.

Despite the stats, the flair, the brilliance and his production he wasn't really a net gain to PSG, the team was too imbalanced with him on (not just his fault that whole attack trident was an issue). Father Time is undefeated and all that.

MLS is as good a choice as any, especially at that price.

Top managers like Xavi were convinced he could elevate their team. The question is if you can surround him with enough hard workers and still be compact enough to be competitive at the top in club football. If you can pull that off, he'll still be an asset to any side. If not as we've seen at PSG, the team will be picked apart against top opposition. But the same is true for other lazy players such as Mbappe who worked even less against the ball.

Still think it is a shame he left Europe already.

 

[glasgow 21]

Barely 6 month ago Messi stop started / stop started Gvardiol ( who i rate highly) and turned him inside out. Folk were like what is this ? Messi has been playing against bigger stronger players all his life so taking down the new kid on the block was nothing new to him. I believe, in the right set up, he could have played anywhere at the top level for at least another 24 months. The power in the shot hasn't really decreased at all. He is Miami clearly enjoying himself so we can all sit and watch one of the all time greats ( in my books the best) having a ball.

 

[Andrade]

What Messi is doing with Miami is equal to or greater than what Maradona did with Napoli. hehe

Cap