![]() Even as he approaches his 36th birthday, that much is undeniable. Make no mistake: Messi is still a world-class player. Being so close to goal requires one to shoot, after all, with less time to set a shot up than an attacking midfielder might enjoy. It could be a case of riding the high from that great World Cup victory, or a need to factor for Neymar’s absence by donning a greater pressure to score. While this helps explain the downtick in assists and passes into the area, it is jarring to see a player of his singular caliber suffer such a steep dropoff in his shooting accuracy. One important caveat: after alternating between playing as a striker and a right winger before the World Cup break, Messi logged a greater share of his minutes as a center forward upon his return. Understandable as it may be, however, there was a clear dropoff in his form and impact after league play resumed in January. His 16 assists were his most since the 2019-20 season, while his 16 goals more than doubled the six he mustered in his first Ligue 1 campaign. ![]() While PSG crashed out of the Champions League this past season, Messi did maintain strong form. So who is Messi, the player, now that his white whale of a World Cup title has been captured? Six months ago, Messi finally won a World Cup with Argentina, the only action which could overshadow his incomparably esteemed CV. And while building a team around Messi requires careful curation of the personnel around him, there’s no doubt he’s worth the meticulous exercise. Taking the lessons from PSG’s collapse can help get a sense of where to get the most out of Miami’s new messiah. It helps to strip the mystique from the man here, to get a sense of how Messi got on during the back half of his final European club season. How on earth can one begin to wrap their head around what we’re about to watch? So begins what will be one of MLS’ great experiments: putting Messi in the worst attack of recent memory. ![]() Six days after making the coaching change, Inter Miami announced the impending arrival of not just any old attacking catalyst, but Messi himself. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |