According to former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde, Lionel Messi seldom participates actively in the initial stages of a match, but there’s a calculated strategy behind his exceptional talent.
Valverde, who succeeded Luis Enrique as Barca’s coach in 2017, shared insights into his coaching philosophy, including how many of his players understand and interpret the game.
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In an interview with the Financial Times, Valverde elaborated on the notion that “you can’t think, you must play” while on the field, but he singled out Messi as an exception to this rule.
Unlike numerous teammates, Messi typically allocates the early moments of each game for interpretation.
Instead of actively engaging in the play, he frequently disregards the ball to analyze the opposing defenders. Messi carefully navigates around them, meticulously observing every movement and positioning of the opposition while identifying weaknesses in their gameplay.
“As the game advances, he gets in little by little. But he knows perfectly where the rivals’ weaknesses are,” Valverde added.
In the extensive article, former club president Josep Bartomeu also disclosed instances where players have turned down Barcelona due to the intense competition within their first-team roster.
“Not all the players I wanted to sign have come to Barcelona,” explained Bartomeu.
“I have examples that I cannot say – very important players now playing at other clubs. We told them to come, they were excited but at the last moment they said: ‘I can’t sign because I will be on the bench,’
“We don’t want them. Sometimes, they are not strong enough to say: ‘where do you want me to play? Xavi is playing, why do you want me? You wan’t me to play in Lionel Messi’s position? I can’t.”
One thing remains clear: Barcelona has faced challenges in finding a successor to the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner since his unexpected departure in 2021.
