That is to say, he was the central attack in the forward band, but that role didn’t always involve him being the most advanced player. Yes Kaká won ballon dor but in its previous format (1956-2009) in 2007 coming ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He was also runner up in 2008 (2nd) and 2007 (3rd). He’s less prolific now, but there has been no decline. 9, nor winger. But Messi’s “best-ness” is also now enshrined as literal fact for at least one year after the Argentine took home FIFA’s “The Best” award at a star-studded gala in Milan. Four games, no wins, just two goals scored and five conceded. Only 16-year-old Ansu Fati looks the part, and that’s only because teenagers have such a fearless energy that nothing was going to stop him (though give Valverde a season and he could drill the joy out of even Ansu).So what’s the solution? to flank wide and keep the defence honest – but that’s why you then have three midfielders because there will be an adequate shield to protect against counter-attacks should the ball be turned over.And if the ball is lost, Messi doesn’t need to expend energy tracking back. He’s not that young stallion anymore, he’s entering his mid-30s and needs to be used more judiciously. How many ‘The Best’ wins does Lionel Messi have left? Messi clearly has his eyes on the future, which is why Barcelona have to look to the past in order to construct a side the Argentine can guide to success. Sure, this requires someone else (Nelson Semedo, perhaps?) More so, the friction within the club's dressing room and the board have resulted in on-field performances taking a severe dip.Despite Barcelona's struggles this season, Messi has had a stellar individual campaign.

They needed a killer.Luis Enrique switched it up to an orthodox front three with a No.9, bringing in Luis Suárez to do the job.

All he needs is a role that demands he makes more off-the-ball runs and finds himself in the position to score more often. So far, Lionel Messi has won 3 times, in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Among the many trophies and honours he has claimed, perhaps nothing is as prestigious as his Ballon d'Or collection.Messi has won a record six Ballon d'Or awards - more than any other player in the history of the game.Messi scooped the most sought-after individual prize in world football in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and most recently last year as he led from the front for Barcelona.No other player except Cristiano Ronaldo (five Ballon d'Ors) has come close to him, especially since the start of the decade gone by.

His goalscoring has remained so consistent that when he didn’t score at Anfield when Barcelona lost 4-0, people branded him a failure even though he created three gilt-edged chances for teammates, chances that they – of course – wasted.Every manager has relied on Messi. But now Neymar’s gone and Barcelona find themselves unable to replace Suárez as they once couldn’t replace Villa, and so should return to that false nine system in order to bring the best out of the players they currently have.For Messi, the benefits are obvious, because he gets to basically play like a No.10, except this time there’s even a trio of midfielders behind him, all magnificent technicians who could help him dominate play and control games with actual tempo rather than just lethargic passing; possession with a purpose.

Updated: 12:38, 16 October 2019This is not a surprise to anyone who has watched football over the last 10 years, or people within Barcelona that knew they had a secret weapon on their hands when he debuted 15 years ago. He regularly lets others take penalties (free-kicks are still his domain, however).This new, less insistent Messi is ironically contrasted with a Barcelona that, under Ernesto Valverde’s leadership, has repeatedly called on Messi to drag his team out of yet another fine mess. All rights reserved. Apart from the double, the Polish striker's side are one of the favourites to win the UCL as well. The kind that is worthy of a player who is now, officially, The Best.Copyright © 2020 Catena Operations Limited.

And what’s more, we’ve already seen this season that both Arthur and Frenkie de Jong can get forward and score.Out wide we have Ansu Fati, a youngster adaptable to any circumstance, but also a player who has already shown himself a capable goalscorer. In their Messi-less start to 2019/20, Barcelona looked great at home but on the road they have been easily outplayed by Athletic Bilbao and Granada, and while they performed well against Osasuna they still didn’t ever really have control of the game and they needed a midfield masterclass and Ter Stegen penalty save to emerge from Dortmund unscathed. For years it was assumed this is what he would do as he got older, slide back into playing as more of an orthodox No.10, or even No.8. Perhaps now is finally time to move Messi back into midfield. In fact, the very idea of the system was that he would withdraw deep, often into midfield, and let players run beyond him where his passes would find them and thus havoc ensued.It was a brilliant system and led to an avalanche of goals for Messi and Barcelona. You may as well play 4-2-3-1.In their current guise, Barcelona could perhaps play Antoine Griezmann as a No.9 and Messi as a 10 and it’d work because the Argentine still has enough thrust in his legs to push forward and be a massive goal threat, but the idea here is to find a formation and structure that will allow Messi to play out more than just one season.Remember: “the body shows no mercy.” You want a system that Messi can play now, this season, instantly. Making him stay wide – as Ernesto Valverde has also done – is utter nonsense. He wouldn’t be able to handle the additional defensive workload, and having a midfielder that can’t defend means your other two midfielders need to be excellent defensive midfielders. How does Messi continue to thrive for Barcelona? (and make no mistake about it, Barcelona need him to thrive). Not to mention, between 2008 and 2017, whenever Messi did not win the accolade, he still finished second. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.

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