Messi, return to the liquid nine

“With its quality, Messi will find space in the evolution of the team. “With this somewhat cryptic phrase, Ronald Koeman tried to explain, on August 24, the Argentine lace in his Barça. But nobody took it into account, probably not even he, who already knew that, just one day later, he Argentinian I was going to send a burofax to the club saying goodbye.

Messi, then, was not in the initial drawing of Koeman but the dutch has improvised fast. There is no other choice but to put it in center stage and give him a leading role because he is the greatest player in the history of the club and because, as admitted the tulip, “win games”. And in that is Koeman, who, waiting to know what to expect with those intended in the position, considers place Messi how false striker or nine liquid.

After playing as extreme false right in the first friendly preseason against him Nastic, Koeman has already placed the last Ballon d'Or 'reference' in the matches against him Girona and Elche. Obviously, Messi has freedom of movement to exchange the position with Griezmann and generate goal pre-passes like the ones he has signed in the last two games. However, Koeman considers important that, unlike in the last season, Messi do not waste time in going down to the line of midfield, almost parallel to Busquets, in moments of the game. Consider it a waste of time. First, because Messi can no longer score extraterrestrial goals like Getafe, Madrid, Zaragoza or Athletic, starting 50 meters from the goal. To their 33 years, needs to optimize your actions and be more concrete. In addition, he wants rival defenses to feel the threat of the Argentine. The position also frees from defensive responsibilities and makes losses less harmful.

Koeman knows that with Messi he will not have a nine that sticks with the defenders, but he will have a weapon of mass destruction that if it receives within the area scores and if he finds the space he will give the decisive pass. That has asked Messi, who also has a privileged understanding of the game. Extreme and liquid nine with Guardiola and Tito, midfielder with Luis Enrique, scorer midfielder with Valverde, Messi walks Towards his penultimate reinvention.