It’s shit or get off the pot time for Argentina and Messi is shitting it in the last 3 games.
Argentina may have many underperforming superstars but Messi is their biggest underperforming superstar and has been consistent - when other players have been dropped or played in unfavoured roles, Messi has consistently been selected when available and the team built around his needs.
At international level he has lacked character and I’d say his overall influence is not good, he has had bust ups with his international team mates and has an undue influence over managers, not mentioning his little hissy fit retirement when he was on the end of criticism.
He was unbelievable the other night. Check @Sidney and my comments from the game.
You’ve consistently said he has been brilliant in games and tournaments for Argentina which I’ve watched and he’s been nothing of the sort.
Other talented Argentinan players suffer because everything hinges around Messi and he can’t live up to his billing. He’s a very talented one trick pony but when you take away the tippy tappy pass and move football Barcelona play he is half the player. International football requires the big players to stand up and lead and Messi has consistently being found out in that regard.
No I haven’t. You don’t watch him and then declare that he’s been shit in games. Look up the highlights of the Peru game mate.
I have seen Messi in games and tournaments you have referenced him as being brilliant in.
He’s been nothing of the sort, if he was some Argentinian journeyman playing for Estudiantes then you might pass his performance as being mediocre but for a guy who is meant to be the superstar of the game, the talisman of his team - he has been a massive letdown.
Why is it everyone else’s fault when Argentina’s output has been so poor with Messi?
If the guy who is supposed to be the best player in the game has been at his best for a team who are lavished with sheer quality then why do Argetina continue to struggle, particularly in attacking sense?
Clean sheets and gritty resolve seem to be more of a hallmark of Messi’s Argentina.
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Name them then and quote the posts where I said he was brilliant.
Because Messi and Mascherano and Biglia is generally decent as well in fairness are the ones who are performing well generally while the others aren’t. Also Argentina have done better than they have in years with Messi in the team.
Mainly because the likes of Aguero and Higuain over the years have missed chance after chance and are too lazy to make runs. I’ll give Dybala and Icardi a pass in that regard as they are only new to the squad. Another issue is a lack of a creative midfielder who can give Messi the ball higher up the pitch which means Messi always has to drop really deep to get the ball.
The last World Cup for instance.
He was utter dogshit in it and didn’t do a tap in the knockout out phase.
Argentina scored 2 goals in 420 minutes of football and all Messi contributed was one assist in that despite playing the full 420 minutes.
Guys like Aguero, Higuain, Lavezzi, Tevez were being left out when things weren’t going well. The rationale there was that their performances weren’t up to it which may be fair enough but neither was Messi’s. He was not doing what he was assigned to do, these guys were sitting on the bench because they could not be accommodated because of Messi and he wasn’t doing the business.
He’s undroppable and he’s performing way, way below the level of his standing in the game, he’s being performing way below that level for Argentina for years and he’s being doing it consistently. You have continued to try and spin that with a lie that Messi has been brilliant but it’s just been everyone else’s fault that Argentina have won nothing.
So you don’t have the evidence of me calling him brilliant in the knockout stage of the last world cup then? Thanks for clearing that up.
And yes in the main it has been other players fault more than Messi although Messi clearly doesn’t play as well for Argentina as he does for Barcelona. Very few attackers play as well for their country as their club. Also I like the way you just didn’t address the tactical stuff I outlined which is the main reason as to why Argentina sometimes struggle
Other players more at fault than Messi?
Those players get little rope when they don’t perform, they’re in and out of the team when they have a bad game. Messi doesn’t needs to worry about that, he doesn’t need to worry about his role - he will play where he wants irrespective of form - that’s not a luxury the likes of Aguero or Higuian or any of the other Argentine attackers have.
With regularity, the player who is meant to be the best in the world fails to be a world class performer, in a team laden with talent. They’re stumbling along with qualification in the balance now, Messi was meant to return and save them but they’ve failed to win in 3 and only have an own goal to show on the goals for side. Messi has played in all those three games.
Of course he doesn’t, because even when Messi underperforms he’s still almost always Argentina’s best attacking player. Higuain and Aguero were actively playing terribly, Messi wasn’t.
Is it Messi’s fault his teammates miss 5 clear chances which he created?
Higuain and Aguero get dropped when they play poorly or ineffectively.
Messi does not. On current form Messi has had enough chances, they have scored one goal (an OG) in 270 minutes of football, he’s been the common denominator in that. Why should he not be dropped? Why should he not make way for Dybala? He’s there on a billing that he’s the superstar of the game - a billing he regularly fails to live up to in an Argentine jersey.
The problem Argrentina have is that Messi is deemed bigger than them but his performances are sub par.
Yes as I already said, Messi rarely plays ineffectively.
Probably because he created 5 clear chances for teammates to score in the last game mate
Because Dybala has been crap when he’s played.
You’re telling fibs.
Messi has been very poor for Argentina, he’s the talisman of a side who has scored one goal (an OG) in 270 minutes - he’s consistent in that 270 minutes. He’s meant to be the best player in the world and he plays like a journeyman from Estudiantes.
Messi is a common denominator in an Argentine side that struggle for goals.
I think Dybala deserves the chance, he’s been in and out of the side, he’s been sacrificed when things haven’t been going well. Messi has been ineffective and should be chopped.
I haven’t told any fibs. Answer my question mate. Is it Messi’s fault that his teammates didn’t score the 5 clear chances he created against Peru?
Why would you drop someone who created 5 clear chances for teammates in his last game?
Because he’s been nowhere near good enough for his country over the past 5/6 years. He’s been given too many chances, if Dybala, Ageuro, Higuain, Icardi and the other world class talents available to Argentina don’t get much rope when they don’t perform then Messi should be no different.
Messi has performed way better than the rest of those players you mentioned though
He’s consistently in the team, when he has a bad game he is not dropped.
And his performances are not up to his billing with all those plus points in his favour, the team is built around him, he is undroppbale and yet he continues to underperform.
Have you seen their results without him mate?
Yes and I have seen their results with him too, they have failed to win their last 3 crunch games with him in the team. They have scored one goal (an OG) in those 270 minutes with him in the team.
A draw away to Uruguay is a very good result. Venezuela was diabolical and then an anomaly against Peru where his teammates miss 5 clear chances he creates. Only one bad performance there