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There is a genuine reason behind Lionel Messi’s slow start to every game.
Former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has revealed why Lionel Messi appears not to be involved with match procedures at the start of each game.
The 56-year-old coach spoke to the Financial Times and shed light on how his former player Messi tries to “interpret the game.”
He revealed how he believed players should play rather than think about the field, but admitted that Argentina’s captain Messi was a clear exception to that philosophy.He explained that Messi used the first minutes of a game to play the rival team, their defense, strategy and things like that.
Messi analyzes each step in meticulous detail, fixing each movement of the opponent’s position in his head as he tries to identify weaknesses in his game.
“As the game progresses, he gets in little by little. But he knows perfectly where the weaknesses of the rivals are ”, revealed Valverde.
Former Barça president Josep Bartomeu was also interviewed for the same article and highlighted how several players ended up refusing to sign Barcelona due to the incredible competition within the squad.
With players like Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets in their ranks, it would have been difficult for any potential signing to enter the starting lineup.
“Not all the players who wanted to sign have come to Barcelona,” explains Bartomeu.
“I have examples that I cannot say: very important players who now play for other clubs. We told them to come, they were excited but at the last minute they said: ‘I can’t sign because I’ll be on the bench.’
“We don’t want them. Sometimes they are not strong enough to say, ‘Where do you want me to play? Xavi is playing, why do you want me? Do you want me to play in the position of Lionel Messi? I can not ‘”
Regardless, Barcelona will have a hard time finding someone to take over from Messi when the time comes for the 33-year-old to leave.
Read more about: Barcelona, Lionel Messi
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