Based on what exactly? The amazing way barca collapsed this year? Puyol retiring? Xavi and Iniesta's ages starting to really show? Or maybe its because Bale got better and better as the season went on, or that Di Maria outshown Messi at this World Cup. Yeah, Real is the one in trouble.
You're wrong. Messi has been the 10, the 9 and the RW. Higuain played bad besides against Belgium. Levezzi and palacio aren't good. Kun aguero has been hurt and before that wasn't good this tournament. And he lost Di Ma. He's basically doing it alone, with anyone creative in midfield behind him, Higuain who is coming off an off year and that's about it. The defense and goalie has kept Argentina in it, but if it weren't for Messi, with his four goals, two game winning goals and his game winning assist, they'd be long gone.
I really disagree man… the fact your the only one saying otherwise should give you a hint. Messi is not having a Maradona 86 tournament, but it has been pretty good. yes Argentina had a very favourable draw, Messi scored against relatively easy teams in the group (4 goals) against switzerland, he provided the decisive assist against for di maria against switzerland to win the game. It was similar to Maradona's assist for Cannigia against Brazil in 1990 in the round of 16, but not quite as impressive. against belgium he did not provide a telling contribution but still had a hand in the goal. today there was no di maria to take the pressure off of messi. he was largely shackled as a result, and de jong was marking him all game. he still had a couple dangerous runs, and guess what as captain of his team he took and scored the first penalty - unlike another famous captain two years ago in a Euro semi final. by all accounts and purposes its been a good WC for Messi so far. yes he has been lucky that Argentina got a favourable draw, but I really don't see how 4 goals, 1 crucial assist and a crucial PK in a shootout and being the team captain on a country going to the WC finals can be classified as a poor tournament. either way you slice it it is a good world cup for him individually. is it Diego Maradona 1986 good? No is it injured Maradona 1990 good (playing on a defensive team)? probably better is it Zidane 1998 good? probably better to be honest is it Pele 1958 or 1970? probably not. Zidane in 2006.. what exactly did he do again? score a PK against Portugal in the semi's and than headbutt materazzi? Messi has been better than that too to be honest.
You're forgetting his MOTM performance against Brasil. In fact, Zidane in WC 2006 was suspiciously spry for his age and compared to his club form - for a long time I've cynically guessed roids, especially after the headbutt.
Messi gets stripped of the ball often but thats part of how they play… him and Di Maria are there to open up the D with their dribbling and unsettle them Messi is given free reign to do that beause Sabella obviously seems to know his sh*t and had built a balanced team, mascherano is a pit bull patrolling the area in front of the back four. if Messi loses the ball there are usually 7 sky blue and white shirts behind him to help recover it… anyways my prediction for the final is this Germany will win, but it won't be as easy as many believe. I think Germany will take it on penalty kicks to win their fourth world cup, against a stubborn and ultra defensive argentina side. Many will view it as a just victory since Germany has been overall the more impressive team throughout the tournament.
anyways Messi still doesn't come close to Cristiano Ronaldo in the World Cup 3 games in 2014, 3 different haircuts. what a legend.
Based on a few reinforcements. If you want to call 2nd place a collapse, go for it. They 'collapsed' and Real still couldn't top them. ......Di Maria outshown Messi? Let's stop.
I don't know, man....For Sundays game i keep getting flashbacks to Euro 2012's Germany vs Italy. I can sense it coming with my crystal ball. Germany vai perder.
I know exactly what you mean man and seriously Netherlands couldn't come anywhere close to scoring, only Robben had a break through than Mascherano owned him. but Germany has just been there too many times, in these later stages. I think they'll get the cup this time, and get over the hump. They will than go back to semi final appearances.
You all think of Barcelona Messi is the problem. Tell me one thing he did in this game? He has never scored in the knockout stages of any world cup including this one....what a legend. Di Maria is out so they now have to bunker and play for PK's. You all are going to tell me you didn't notice that Higuain had to drop back to receive passes from the defence and other midfielders cause that midget was too slow to figure out where the play was going? And I love the comment that Messi losing the ball repeatedly is part of Argentina's game plan. I'm the one out of my mind when Messi losing the ball is the game plan.
I did, he played well vs Nigeria and was non existent save for late goals vs Bosnia and Iran. Did nothing vs Belgium, was non existent vs the Swiss until Lichsteiner was stripped and Messi was given the ball with a numerical advantage on a counter (wow he is so amazing for making the obvious play!) and was the worst player on the field vs Netherlands. ...No wait he was the best vs the Netherlands because the plan was for him to walk around and the few times he gets the ball to turn it over. Oh and send horrible crosses out of bounds. Well played Messi only a genius can understand that game plan....or a total mark.
Messi has been decent to good IMO. His dribbling has impressed me. That hurts to say because I don't like him. He has played as well as Rooney did, and he was criticized too.
Messi got shutdown against Holland. They did a good job closing him in. He was decent at best. The real star for me was James Rodriguez, compared to Mueller, he had no real support and put the team on his back. He is my MVP.
I will only watch highlight packs from now on so I can agree with the rest of you. Losing the ball repeatedly and making errant passes don't mean anything because ESPN doesn't show them in their 1 minute summaries. And 4 goals against the giants known as Bosnia, Nigeria and Iran prove that Messi is king of this World Cup. So what if he did nothing vs the Swiss, Belgians and Dutch? Those are minnows. But LOL at Higuian being "out of position" comments. Covering up Messi's laziness and doing his job for him is now playing bad, just like Messi losing the ball is part of the game plan. James Mueller Robben Di Maria Neymar Dos Santos Brian Ruiz Most of Chile Are just a few of the names who have PLAYED better then Messi. By that I mean they are involved heavily in play and make passes. Messi has been Veloso for 90% of the time he is on the field but has done a few last minute moments of brilliance to cover for it up to the round of 16.
To Shut down means that they were all over him....he was walking around, literally waiting for the ball to just show up. He though he was playing vs Elche. Messi's only excuse is he is saving all his energy for the final.
You keep talking about highlight packs as if you're the only one who watches. Save it, I know what I saw, no need to be condescending. 4 goals against those minnows. The African Cup of Nation minnows. Fine. Where's Argentina without those goals? I'll wait while you load up those highlights. I don't think anyone said Higuian was out of position. It's more that he's sucked. He has, so has the rest of Argentinas attack. Literally the only one attacking is/was Messi. Even Maradona had Valdano to contribute 4 goals. Messi's supporting cast up front has sucked. If it wasn't for Di Ma and now Enzo he'd had zero help. And he's doing this as the playmaker, the goalscorer and the winger. None of this fits your agenda of Messi sucks and is the worst and blah blah blah but it's all true.
Funny that you bring up the Nigeria game, seeings how that is the only game I gave him credit for. Talk about trying to get something to fit into an agenda lol He has done nothing that you speak of except vs Nigeria a brief run vs Bosnia and for the latter stages (read: 1 play) vs Iran, and Switzerland. You are reliving highlights of the night. If it wasn't for Di Maria Argentina would have been playing for 0-0 every game like they did vs the Dutch. Enzo and Higuain were the entire attack that game and they were subbed off in the second and after that there was no more attack.
Yup very good player very involved. Scored a cracker as well vs the Dutch but then again he had so much more amazing talent at his disposal unlike Messi who only had Enzo, Higuain, Palacio, Aguero...you know Australian/MLS league types.
But you're not saying anything otherworldly that Argentina is better when Di Ma is playing than when he's not. That doesn't change that the offense, which has only 8 goals (being kind for the own goal from a messi cross) has run thru messi. Di Ma, and subsequently Enzo, have been great, but that's not what I'm arguing. They haven't done much offensively except for the Di Ma goal, set up by messi, and the Higuain goal, assisted from Di Maria, who got the ball from messi after he beat two people. And you talk about us just watching highlights? Messi's best game was Belgium, where he didn't score but he had the freedom to dictate the offense because of the Higuain goal, leaving Belgium open. And please, quit it with the highlight talk. I took time off work for a couple weeks to watch this. I don't like being talked to like I can't watch a soccer game like the incomparable GoodDead