Off of World Cup disappointment, Messi looks to come back stronger
It seems like Lionel Messi has picked up the shattered pieces from his national team’s demise in South Africa. The Argentine has once again won the hearts of football fans with his hat-trick in the Barcelona-Sevilla match. His feat helped bring his team to 4-0 victory.
Messi was one of the big football players who failed to impress in South Africa, although he created multiple chances for his team to score and did a lot good defensive work to prevent the opposition from scoring. Yet a lot of football fans dwelled on his inability to score, especially during the Argentina-Germany match. Argentina was making big waves before their make or break match with Germany. Moreover, Argentina fans were confident that their team could take down the young German team. But even the experienced Messi failed to get through the impenetrable German defence and it was a humiliating 4-0 loss for Diego Maradona’s squad.
It was a devastating defeat for Messi and the rest of his fans.
“We did not fulfil the expectations of many people. I feel really terrible, and I just want to go home. We played a terrible game [against Germany] and we will have to start again. Thank you for all your support,” Messi admitted to his Chinese fans (Messi is paid to write for a company based in Asia).
The Argentine forward is not one to be easily disheartened by a loss. After South Africa, Barca toured Asia for a pre-season opener. Barca Coach Pep Guardiola went easy on his players who went to South Africa so he only put Messi in for 16 minutes in the match against Korean’s K-League All-Stars. To everyone’s delight, Messi’s 16 minutes was the sweetest highlight in the match because he scored twice and Barca won 3-2. The Koreans complained about the short spell but Guardiola was quick to defend his highly-rated forward: “I need to think of my players and after one training session; he could not have played more.” As a considerate coach, he wanted his players to slowly recover from the wear and tear of the World Cup.
Messi showed the true meaning of dedication when he voluntarily trained alone while his teammates were given a day off in China during the second-leg of their Asian tour. He also declared to everyone that a new season means a fresh start. “We have the same objectives Barcelona have every year. We want to win all the competitions we participate in. We know that it won't be easy, but we have a great team. The team is eager to start the new season though and we're looking forward to winning even more trophies. The world champions are full of confidence and we're in great form to kick off a new campaign,” Messi was quoted as saying by Marca.
Messi usually made his goals from the right two seasons ago, giving opposing left-backs a headache. He became such a skilled right winger that it seemed like his every right wing attempt was magic – he often scored. Right before the World Cup, Guardiola assigned his forward to the centre. It was not an easy transition and eventually, Guardiola assigned him back to the right. There was an obvious improvement in his ability to collaborate with his teammates and give the opposing goal a scare.
His goals were a testament to how versatile the Argentine has grown. Messi is now a threat to future opponents, with his unpredictability and versatility. He is still a fine right winger but his ability to dart left and right in the centre will definitely dangerous to his opponents. On top of that, he uncanny ability to score goals with just a light touch.
Barcelona has gained their first silverware of the season, thanks to Messi’s newfound skill. The season has just started but Messi is already in his finest form. If he stays in tiptop shape, not even Wesley Sneijder or Cristiano Ronaldo can threaten this explosive forward. The next World Cup is still four years away and Messi has a lot of time to add more skills in his arsenal. Surely, his fans are looking forward to seeing their idol making opponents’ jaws drop.
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