The former Barcelona boss saw a disturbing change in the Ballon d’Or winner’s behaviour and claimed that he has become surly in recent months which have affected his performance.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 is finding it hard to bear the tag of ‘best footballer ever’ after undergoing severe criticism from media circles for his failure in Barcelona’s last three matches. The sentiment was echoed by former Barcelona manager, Radomir Antic, who believes
that a lot is going on behind his calm demeanour.
Contrary to popular belief where Messi is heralded as one of the most humble and modest players on the pitch, the Serbian tactician claimed otherwise.
Antic pointed out the Argentineans recent bust-ups with colleagues and arguments with referees and judged him to have changed over the course of the season.
The 63-year-old clarified that he is not judging the quality of performances by Messi which remains at an exceptionally high level but believes more can come from him if his mind set is checked.
Continuing on the topic, Antic claimed that his recent mood swing has not helped Barcelona, who need him to for his defensive input as well as his offensive output.
“He argues with team-mates and with referees' decisions," the Serb told Com Radio. "This Messi has changed a lot.”
"You cannot dispute his quality but his state of mind in the last few months has not helped his abilities.”
"Messi is now intermittent. He doesn't help recover the ball, the defensive work starts when the play finishes."
"When you miss a penalty you are not just missing the penalty, you lose a player because he is affected by the miss," the 63-year-old declared.
"At this time there is still a long way to go, the final of the Copa [del Rey] is still there and making a decision now would not be right for a great coach and a club as big as http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604," he reasoned.
Barcelona take on the challenge of Athletic Bilbao at the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Vicente-c36001 Calderon in the second half of May for Copa del Rey glory.
Pep Guardiola’s charges need a positive result against their Basque counterparts to lift the Spanish domestic competition and lay claim to one of the major trophies on show after dropping out of UEFA Champions League and La Liga title race.
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