Barcelona made the club’s record
signing when they fulfilled the buyout
clause in Luis Suarez’s contract despite a
four-month ban hanging over the
footballer’s career. While many believe
the trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and the
new guy would devastate any defence in
Europe and bring the Catalan club back
to winning ways, I doubt if this will
happen.
The three players are fantastic and they
can influence the outcome of any match
with mesmerising skills and eye for goal,
but not many great players have been
successful playing alongside Messi at
Barcelona.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic cost Barcelona €69.5
million but he could not replicate his
superb form that has made him very
important at Ajax, Juventus and Inter
Milan. He even claimed the club manager
had not spoken to him for 5 months
when he played his last game for
Barcelona on August 25.
In an autobiography in 2011, Ibra said
that things went downhill for him at
Barca because Messi asked to change
position.
“It was a childhood dream and I was
walking on air,” said Ibrahimovic. “It
started well but then Messi started to
talk.
“He wanted to play in the middle, not on
the wing, so the system changed from
4-3-3 to 4-5-1. I was sacrificed and no
longer had the freedom on the pitch I
need to succeed.”
David Villa came in and had a similar
challenge, Messi was the golden boy and
he would play wherever he liked. So went
Villa’s career at Barcelona like Thierry
Henry before him.
Alexis Sanchez was another victim, but
after showing his class at the just
concluded World Cup, Arsenal came to
save him.
Suarez would have weighed his options
very well and would have stalled the
move for a call from Real Madrid, but
his misdemeanor at the World Cup only
meant no team without a real striker
crisis would want him.
Blame the coaches for not having the
guts to play Messi where they think it’s
best for the team. Although it played out
fine for Pep Guardiola and Tito
Villanova, but Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino
beared the brunt as Barcelona looked so
ordinary, finishing the season without a
single trophy just because Lionel Messi
didn’t play well.
Where were the Pedros, Alexis Sanchez
and free-scoring midfielders like Cesc
Fabregas? They have become ordinary
over a run of games having to play the
way Messi dictates.
Now Suarez has gotten the number 9 at
Camp Nou, but he may never play as
such. The freedom he had at Anfield
that made him lift Liverpool back to
reckoning may not be there at Barcelona
and this will make his career suffer like
Neymar’s.
The Brazilian carries his country because
he had the freedom to play and his
absence was evident after his injury
forced him out of some crucial games at
the World Cup, with the Samba boys
finishing fourth at mundial.
No team will give three players freedom
to play at a time, but maybe there would
have been a way out if Messi never
dictates everything, but Luis Enrique is
another former Barca player, who is
likely going to preserve the Messi
adoration.
If Real Madrid had made play all about
Cristiano Ronaldo, maybe Atletico
Madrid would have won the Champions
League. But those crucial matches were
never about Ronaldo last season and
Angel Di Maria and Gareth Bale shone
and helped the Madrid club to two titles.
It’s high time Barcelona learnt. Messi is
never going back to his form two years
ago. He will probably be more effective if
the games stop being all about him and
Neymar can work with Suarez to bring
back trophies to Camp Nou.
Messi has become a cancer at Barcelona;
he is why many great players have not
succeeded there. Luis Enrique, please
take note.
signing when they fulfilled the buyout
clause in Luis Suarez’s contract despite a
four-month ban hanging over the
footballer’s career. While many believe
the trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and the
new guy would devastate any defence in
Europe and bring the Catalan club back
to winning ways, I doubt if this will
happen.
The three players are fantastic and they
can influence the outcome of any match
with mesmerising skills and eye for goal,
but not many great players have been
successful playing alongside Messi at
Barcelona.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic cost Barcelona €69.5
million but he could not replicate his
superb form that has made him very
important at Ajax, Juventus and Inter
Milan. He even claimed the club manager
had not spoken to him for 5 months
when he played his last game for
Barcelona on August 25.
In an autobiography in 2011, Ibra said
that things went downhill for him at
Barca because Messi asked to change
position.
“It was a childhood dream and I was
walking on air,” said Ibrahimovic. “It
started well but then Messi started to
talk.
“He wanted to play in the middle, not on
the wing, so the system changed from
4-3-3 to 4-5-1. I was sacrificed and no
longer had the freedom on the pitch I
need to succeed.”
David Villa came in and had a similar
challenge, Messi was the golden boy and
he would play wherever he liked. So went
Villa’s career at Barcelona like Thierry
Henry before him.
Alexis Sanchez was another victim, but
after showing his class at the just
concluded World Cup, Arsenal came to
save him.
Suarez would have weighed his options
very well and would have stalled the
move for a call from Real Madrid, but
his misdemeanor at the World Cup only
meant no team without a real striker
crisis would want him.
Blame the coaches for not having the
guts to play Messi where they think it’s
best for the team. Although it played out
fine for Pep Guardiola and Tito
Villanova, but Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino
beared the brunt as Barcelona looked so
ordinary, finishing the season without a
single trophy just because Lionel Messi
didn’t play well.
Where were the Pedros, Alexis Sanchez
and free-scoring midfielders like Cesc
Fabregas? They have become ordinary
over a run of games having to play the
way Messi dictates.
Now Suarez has gotten the number 9 at
Camp Nou, but he may never play as
such. The freedom he had at Anfield
that made him lift Liverpool back to
reckoning may not be there at Barcelona
and this will make his career suffer like
Neymar’s.
The Brazilian carries his country because
he had the freedom to play and his
absence was evident after his injury
forced him out of some crucial games at
the World Cup, with the Samba boys
finishing fourth at mundial.
No team will give three players freedom
to play at a time, but maybe there would
have been a way out if Messi never
dictates everything, but Luis Enrique is
another former Barca player, who is
likely going to preserve the Messi
adoration.
If Real Madrid had made play all about
Cristiano Ronaldo, maybe Atletico
Madrid would have won the Champions
League. But those crucial matches were
never about Ronaldo last season and
Angel Di Maria and Gareth Bale shone
and helped the Madrid club to two titles.
It’s high time Barcelona learnt. Messi is
never going back to his form two years
ago. He will probably be more effective if
the games stop being all about him and
Neymar can work with Suarez to bring
back trophies to Camp Nou.
Messi has become a cancer at Barcelona;
he is why many great players have not
succeeded there. Luis Enrique, please
take note.
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