my guts are churning for once, Messi should've gone down immediately when the GK made contact with his left leg. It couldn't have been a good idea to go on to stop in his tracks and attempt a shot if his knee hyperextended...
There's hope that this injury isn't overly serious, think Messi knows his body well, and if you remember his last serious injury (oddly enough in a game against Celtic) he knew immediately that his hamstring was done and collapsed in agony and shed tears. Here he was obviously in pain, but didn't seem shattered like before.
I disagree in this case. In past Matchday 6s when Barca had already clinched the group Pep used to trot out many reserves. Against Stuttgart, v Shakhtar. No reason to play him. None whatsoever.
The manager is partly responsible for the injury. You either start Messi or you dont play him at all, or risk him getting injured. Furthermore benfica plays very dirty football.
I (and other posters) said before the match that he shouldn't play. Don 't need hindsight to disagree with a stupid decision.
I don't doubt you said it before the match - my point is that it is easy to get mad at Tito (and at Messi - cause we know Messi has a say in these things) now that there's been an injury. But trusting in your players is also how you gain their trust (see Pep's decision to over rule the team and let Messi play in the Olympics after the club had won a court victory preventing that very thing [and what if Leo was injured then?]). So I'm glad you are not changing your tune and did not mean to suggest you had, but I do think that many who were happy to see Messi come on will now blast Tito (especially if it is a bad injury). I also was happy when Messi did not start and applauded Tito and Messi then when I posted the lineup.
First news from Barcelona dressing-room on Messi's injury: knock on knee, it doesn't seem serious, further tests ongoing #fcblive [catradio]
God I hope Messi gets a chance to break the record and come back soon, my Barca brothers I blame Messi to a degree when he passed the keeper and you saw his face, he winced at the point, he should have just stopped and dropped and not take the shot EDIT Can someone please tell me whats happening with Messi as I will have a heart attack soon
To be fair you can get injured in any match and it wasn't as if he was injured by a bad tackle. Fingers crossed it's not serious. I know it's easy with hindsight but Messi should have started the game imho.
Questioning Messi's desire to score there kinda undermines who Messi is and what seperates him from other great players...
Benfica didn't look like they could be bothered to win. I would have figured they would have pressed more against Barça back-up squad. Maxi Perreira (sp) missed a golden chance though. Deulofeu definitely looks like he has that go it alone instinct. Still the talent is there.
Messi tried to make it look like he was going to lay it off for Deulofeu but he definitely wasn't fooling the keeper on that one.
Over the radio Rac1 http://rac1.org/wp-content/plugins/rac-player/reproductor.php Radio Catalunya http://www.catradio.cat/reproductor/catradio
Please stop with the break the record thing, if he is ready to play all our 2013 matches in his top form I'll be fine if he misses all the rest of the 2012 ones.