The Messi injury

[Rosco]

I've always had a sneaking suspicion that Barcas tiki taka would be fruitless were it not for the fact that the best player in the game was playing up front.

Given he's out now for an expected 8 weeks after a hamstring tear, we'll get a chance to see how wrong I am.

Does anyone else think they'll struggle without him ? Or is their squad too strong overall for it to make a massive difference ?

 

[FoxForceFive]

I'll assume that they still win most of their games, esp when playing some of the teams in la Liga (the gulf in class is big) although it'll only be by a narrow margin most of the time.

If they have any tricky cl games in that time or real, it'll be interesting to see how/if they can turn their possession into goals without him.

 

[SummerOnions]

neymar

 

[Fabio]

neymar

My thoughts

 

[LeTallecWiz]

They've been winning without him this year - Neymar/Sanchez/Pedro will be fine.

 

[Hansern]

They'll be fine. Only big game they have in that period is away to Atletico Madrid on the 12th of January, and he'll probably be back by then.

They're pretty much the winners in their CL group aswell. 5 points ahead of Milan with games againt Celtic and Ajax to go.

I'll reckon they'll win most of their games if not all of them.

 

[Ryan]

It's be more interesting if this injury came in say March or April when things are up for grabs and big games are being played.

Who have Barca got to play in the next 8 weeks? Some mid-table La Liga sides? Whooptie-do, worst case scenario they'll be 2nd in La Liga and still in the Champions League.

Hardly matters a fuck really.

 

[Rafiagra]

Another thing about this injury is Ballague going on about how it's his 3rd similar injury since Pep left, and that he had similar before Pep, thereby insinuating that there was some special secret as to how Guardiola managed him. I wonder what it is.

 

[Hansern]

Another thing about this injury is Ballague going on about how it's his 3rd similar injury since Pep left, and that he had similar before Pep, thereby insinuating that there was some special secret as to how Guardiola managed him. I wonder what it is.

The fitness coach, Lorenzo Buenaventura, left with Guardiola apparantly. While he was there Messi didnt suffer from injuries like this at all after he tweaked his training schedule.

 

[Rosco]

Another thing about this injury is Ballague going on about how it's his 3rd similar injury since Pep left, and that he had similar before Pep, thereby insinuating that there was some special secret as to how Guardiola managed him. I wonder what it is.

Well Barca did use that doctor who got banned for his involvement in doping in cycling.

Although that's the third one in a row associated with them to be banned, so maybe the timeline doesn't work

 

[keniget]

I thought this was going to be a thread about whether this is the end of Messi as we know him. That is the debate that has been going on in Barcelona apparently. I hope these niggling injuries don't start to happen with greater frequency.

As for Barca, they're not the same side they were a couple years ago with or without Messi. They don't keep possession in the same way, they don't press with the same level of intensity and the overall sharpness isn't quite there. I'm not impressed with Martino thus far. I missed their game at the weekend against Betis but last time I checked they had less possession and a worse passing accuracy. That's not that unusual for this season. It's not tiki taka as it was under Pep.

They will miss him but Alexis has been in very good form so far this season and Neymar is settling in nicely so I suspect they'll have enough firepower along with Fabregas, Pedro and Tello to keep things ticking along till he comes back.

They need to start thinking about a buying a striker if tiki taka proper isn't coming back though.

 

[Mors]

Any team would miss the best the player to ever play the game, it doesn't matter who you are. But, Barca also have plenty of other brilliant players that would waltz into any other team in the world to cover for him. They've got at least 4 other players that would probably be any other team in the world's star player.
They'll not struggle in la liga as all bar about 4 or 5 teams in that league are shit, and they've already qualified from the groups for the champions league.

 

[King Binny]

[article]Messi is now facing his fourth injury of the season, and many are saying the striker’s body can’t keep up with the current schedule.

Messi suffered a quadriceps problem in pre-season, while the Flea was also unavailable with injury at the start of the season against Malaga. Messi was then absent for several weeks after he collected a hamstring problem against Almeria, and now is again out having picked up a thigh problem against Betis.

The current state of Messi’s health is worrying, particularly taking into account how fit and available La Pulga always seemed to be under former manager Pep Guardiola.

In that regard, a powerful stat which is currently doing the rounds is that Lionel Messi had 7 injuries prior to Guardiola, only one injury issue while Pep was in charge, and he has picked up five injuries since Pep has left the Nou Camp.

Spanish football journalist Sid Lowe has appeared on ESPN trying to understand why Messi is so injury prone in recent times, and the accusations of blame are begiining to fly. Lowe said: There is a sense of finger-pointing. Messi will say “I’m ready, I want to play” time after time. There is a question mark as to whether Messi has forced himself into the team when he shouldn’t have done, whether Barcelona have forced him back too much, and in particular whether the preparation has been good mind.

Bear in mind Messi has travelled over 120,000 kilometers in the summer, in other words he went around the globe three times.[/article]

Messi's summer travels, all 122,333 km of them:

 

[Fabio]

If Messi now becomes perpetually injured.... Ronaldo has a strong case for being he best in the world