Monday, May 11, 2015
Lionel Messi’s genius decided an evenly disputed match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich on Wednesday. He is an extraordinary footballer and after the game, much was written and said about whether there is a system to stop him.
But it’s not as simple as that.
Barcelona played a fantastic first 15 minutes against Bayern and had two great chances in that spell – one through Dani Alves and the other with Luis Suarez. The same thing then happened in the last 15 minutes. It’s not only Messi, however – it’s Barcelona.
Suarez gives Barca the aggression that is so important in the attacking third; Neymar is there to finish off a counter-attack, an individual action or a collective move; the presence of Ivan Rakitic makes Barca more aggressive in midfield and in winning the ball back; Javier Mascherano in defence is everywhere; Gerard Pique has been immense this year; and the full-backs attack constantly.
