They try to, but he goes anywhere he wants on the field

by Mark, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 10:19 (36 days ago) @ Chris
edited by Mark, Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 10:50

which tends to mess up their defenses and then Messi collects easy assists bc the opponents D is out of place (ie he drags 2 defenders with him and then passes to the open guy behind them).

I just watched a video last night on what makes Messi so successful:

- from Pep “Watch his head, he’s constantly surveying the whole field, even when he’s walking and not part of the play”

- Some math professor claims Messi is the most efficient player the game has ever seen and then shows a video snippet how 3 defenders were on him and then Messi cuts across them making them all equi-distant from him (giving him more space with the ball).

- A defender being interviewed said he was tasked with marking Messi but stated something like “he felt like the whole game he could never put a hand on Messi. Bigger players were easier to body up, but Messi just cuts under your arm and you never touch him.”

- Moreover, I’ve seen a few videos/ studies that talk about how Messi walks more than any player on the field, but he ALWAYS “just happens” to be in the right place at the right time. If I had to pick one aspect of Messi’s game, it would be this last bullet point. Messi just seems to know where the ball will be, or where open space on the field will be, before anyone else on the pitch.