Lionel Messi - and the players around him - crucial ahead of Super Cup
The Argentine works best when he has team-mates whom he clicks with around him
However good Lionel Messi has been over the years, and he has been very good, from the 2005 Joan Gamper onwards, time has shown that the best Leo needs team-mates.
His best version arrives when he’s well surrounded on the pitch by players he clicks with.
Ronaldinho and Deco were the first to do that for him. They needed just some training sessions to see he was a special kid. And they bet on him because as well as being a great prospect he was also a humble kid who listened.
That Messi already wanted the ball and they looked for him because he was reliable with it. He could also beat rivals with ease, and pass with milimetric precision.
Pep Guardiola was key in Messi’s evolution. He changed the hierarchy and Iniesta and Xavi became his reference points. The system changed to get the best out of Leo.
He was a false nine and the game flowed through his boots. He soon found a link on the right with Xavi and Dani Alves. Players capable of understanding his game and putting it where Messi wanted it. They would leave him in front of goal.
Jordi Alba, Cesc Fabregas and Luis Suarez have also clicked with Messi, and some others, like Paulinho and Arturo Vidal.
The departure of Vidal and Suarez were blows for Messi. Not just football wise, but also as pillars of support in the dressing room for him.
Finally Pedri appeared and Messi is having fun again. They have a spontaneous connection. That’s how chemistry works.
One of the big challenges for the Canarian is to stop Messi needing to come too deep. And he’s not doing it because he knows the ball will get to him. And for that, Pedri is key. He’s not the only one though. De Jong is also freer to come forward and support, giving Messi more passes.
It’s been a hard process with Antoine Griezmann, partly because he likes working in the same areas. Something has changed though, they are working together more and seem to have a better relationship. You see it in their celebrations, their moments together. And confidence is growing in the Frenchman.
“They weren’t going in for me and now they seem to be, it goes in streaks,’He said. “I needed this. The confidence of the coach and the confidence of my team-mates.”
He scored two against Granada, the same as Messi, who is now Pichichi with 11 goals. Ousmane Dembele also started for the third game in a row and he’s playing with confidence and an unseen leadership.
Messi has four goals and an assist in the start to 2021. But above all Koeman has found the mould for him and his team-mates to work in. With a 4-3-3, the system that seemed out but is now in and allows Barcelona to head into the Spanish Super Cup with optimism.
