Give Messi a rest

(Baonghean.vn) - 'FIFA virus' is always a nightmare for all big teams, not just Barcelona, ​​when the national teams compete. Messi is going through a series of continuous appearances for both the Catalan club and the Argentine national team.

It's time for Messi to rest to recover his physical strength in the best way. Up to this point, the 30-year-old star has played 11 matches for Barcelona (2 Spanish Super Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, 7 La Ligas) and 4 matches for the Argentina national team, equivalent to 1,350 minutes.

The high competition density (about 3 matches per day), the long distance traveled and the constant malicious fouls from the opponent, caused Messi's physical strength to be severely worn down. The overload was obvious.

If he continues to work hard at such a frequency, La Pulga will hardly avoid injuries. Don't forget, in the last 3 seasons, Messi had to miss at least 1 match due to pain in his legs.

Preparing to step into the other side of the slope of his career, like many other football players, injury is a companion of the star born in 1987. Therefore, the most important thing right now for coach Valverde is to force Messi to get used to the bench.

Messi has been working hard all this time. Photo: Internet

However, this is not an easy thing for the new Barcelona captain. The Argentine player always wants to play in any situation. Sitting on the bench is no different from torture for Messi. Remember in the first season at Camp Nou, coach Enrique had a conflict with the team's number 1 star, when he "dared" to leave Messi on the bench. That was the match Real Sociedad 1 - 0 Barcelona, ​​in round 17 of La Liga 2014/2015. Coach Enrique did not put Messi's name in the starting lineup.

The striker wearing the number 10 shirt was extremely angry. The conflict between Enrique and Messi was so tense that it seemed impossible to mend. Faced with that situation, captain Xavi had to intervene to reconcile the "bad rice, bad soup" relationship between the two.

And since then, Messi has been a regular on the pitch (barring injury), regardless of the outcome of the match. The Argentine international has been present for the full 90 minutes of matches, almost by default.

Coach Valverde must find a way to let Messi rest. Photo: Internet

The lesson of his predecessor Enrique, coach Valverde must be very careful about how he acts with Messi. If he displeases La Pulga, the consequences will be huge. In fact, every coach wants to make full use of the excellent players they have at their disposal.

The same is true for coach Valverde and Messi. Of course, the former Bilbao captain would love to put Messi on the field in all matches. But currently, Messi is working too hard (the most in Europe). Not putting the Argentine player on the bench means coach Valverde is "walking on a tightrope".

The 2017/2018 season is still in its early stages, with many difficulties and challenges ahead. Unfortunately, Messi is injured, and Barcelona's goals in the Champions League and La Liga will suffer significant consequences.

Therefore, to help the Camp Nou team conquer titles and satisfy Messi, coach Valverde must discuss with the 30-year-old star to make this player happy to sit on the bench.

However, in the upcoming away match at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitan stadium, Messi certainly cannot be absent from Barcelona's squad./.

Thanh Hung