The Messi Conundrum

[Strike 6,958]

As Chelsea prepare to face Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final this Wednesday, the question on everybody’s mind is - How do you defend against what is widely regarded as the best team in the planet whose attack is headed by the best player on the planet? ….Manchester United, Arsenal, AC Milan, Real Madrid have all tried and have all been swatted aside by this rampant Barcelona team and at the heart of it all is the little magician ruling the game now - Lionel Messi<br />

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Sam Allardyce once said "Nobody is good enough to man-mark Messi. He could elude anybody. What you have to do, as a player, is make sure that you’re aware of him. Whenever Messi is in your area or in your space, you’ve got to take responsibility for him”. Fergie tried man-marking Messi in the Champions League final and paid the price for it. So, the question arises, how do you defend Messi? The answer is not how Guus Hiddink dealt with Messi. The Messi of 09' is very different from the Messi of today. In 09' Messi used to play Right Wing. Cut inside with his lightning quick feet and link up with Xavi and Iniesta. But now, with Ibrahimovic and Henry sold, and Villa injured, he has been playing as a false number 9 for Barca (He started playing centre before Villa’s injury, but that’s not the point)<br />

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Jose Mourinho tried an interesting idea in the Spanish Community Shield or whatever they call it. He assigned one of the CB’s, Ricardo Carvalho to push up and take on Messi when he got the ball. So, essentially, Carvalho pushed up to a CDM position and the 3 remaining defenders narrowed down to deal with Villa and Pedro. That way the actual CDM’s do not have to worry about Messi and can concentrate on clamping Xavi Iniesta and Fabregas. The idea didn’t work perfectly as Carvalho was beaten easily by Messi but it did help Real deal with Messi much more effectively and I think RDM can take a leaf out of Mourinho’s box of tricks.<br />

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In our squad, I can think of only one player who can suffocate Messi – David Luiz. Yes, I am serious and No, its not a joke. David Luiz is regarded by the media as a player prone to mistakes but when was the last time we saw him make an error? He has been playing fantastically well this year. He had Edinson Cavani in his pocket against Napoli and has reduced his forward runs recently. He has the pace to deal with Messi and can harry him all night. He doesn't have to man-mark Messi. Mikel or Ramires should take responsibility for him when he drops back deep but it is when Messi is driving at the defence that Luiz needs to be careful. You can't let Messi get into that space in front of the defence and behind the CDM's. Messi is brilliant in getting through tight spaces and you could say he can get past Luiz but given that Luiz will be tailing him at the CDM position, the covering centre-back can clean up the mess if that does happen. John Terry fits the role of the covering CB perfectly. He is the organizer of our defense and he can direct the defense to nip the Barca attacks in the bud. The Barca full-backs will overlap and attack, so Ramires and Kalou have to get back all night and act as the wing backs for Chelsea – a kind of a Christian Maggio role. With Luiz injured for the first leg, Ramires would be the next best option to stifle Messi. He has the pace and the stamina to shadow-mark him all night long. Gary Cahill would do better covering the other defenders rather than man-marking anyone. There is no guarantee this will work since Barca will realize the marking and change their system, so that’s why we need to stay flexible in defence. Also, with the first leg at the Bridge, we have to counter-attack and get at their defence whenever we get the ball because otherwise Barca will pin us back with their tiki-taka.<br />

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After Wembley, I fully believe we can score against Barca. It’s all about whether we can defend them.<br />

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sources: rob greissinger for the allardyce quotes and zonalmarking.net for the image and the mourinho insight.<br />

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[FranklyFrank 103]

Good read I liked it. I think David Luiz is an interesting choice for messi but maybe. I mostly notice Luiz mess up when he has the ball deep in our half and doesn't clear it but that is offensive not defensive.

[communicate 2,703]

THE MESSI CONUNDRUM

As Chelsea prepare to face Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final this Wednesday, the question on everybody’s mind is - How do you defend against what is widely regarded as the best team in the planet whose attack is headed by the best player on the planet? ….Manchester United, Arsenal, AC Milan, Real Madrid have all tried and have all been swatted aside by this rampant Barcelona team and at the heart of it all is the little magician ruling the game now - Lionel Messi

Sam Allardyce once said "Nobody is good enough to man-mark Messi. He could elude anybody. What you have to do, as a player, is make sure that you’re aware of him. Whenever Messi is in your area or in your space, you’ve got to take responsibility for him”. Fergie tried man-marking Messi in the Champions League final and paid the price for it. So, the question arises, how do you defend Messi? The answer is not how Guus Hiddink dealt with Messi. The Messi of 09' is very different from the Messi of today. In 09' Messi used to play Right Wing. Cut inside with his lightning quick feet and link up with Xavi and Iniesta. But now, with Ibrahimovic and Henry sold, and Villa injured, he has been playing as a false number 9 for Barca (He started playing centre before Villa’s injury, but that’s not the point)

Jose Mourinho tried an interesting idea in the Spanish Community Shield or whatever they call it. He assigned one of the CB’s, Ricardo Carvalho to push up and take on Messi when he got the ball. So, essentially, Carvalho pushed up to a CDM position and the 3 remaining defenders narrowed down to deal with Villa and Pedro. That way the actual CDM’s do not have to worry about Messi and can concentrate on clamping Xavi Iniesta and Fabregas. The idea didn’t work perfectly as Carvalho was beaten easily by Messi but it did help Real deal with Messi much more effectively and I think RDM can take a leaf out of Mourinho’s box of tricks.

In our squad, I can think of only one player who can suffocate Messi – David Luiz. Yes, I am serious and No, its not a joke. David Luiz is regarded by the media as a player prone to mistakes but when was the last time we saw him make an error? He has been playing fantastically well this year. He had Edinson Cavani in his pocket against Napoli and has reduced his forward runs recently. He has the pace to deal with Messi and can harry him all night. He doesn't have to man-mark Messi. Mikel or Ramires should take responsibility for him when he drops back deep but it is when Messi is driving at the defence that Luiz needs to be careful. You can't let Messi get into that space in front of the defence and behind the CDM's. Messi is brilliant in getting through tight spaces and you could say he can get past Luiz but given that Luiz will be tailing him at the CDM position, the covering centre-back can clean up the mess if that does happen. John Terry fits the role of the covering CB perfectly. He is the organizer of our defense and he can direct the defense to nip the Barca attacks in the bud. The Barca full-backs will overlap and attack, so Ramires and Kalou have to get back all night and act as the wing backs for Chelsea – a kind of a Christian Maggio role. With Luiz injured for the first leg, Ramires would be the next best option to stifle Messi. He has the pace and the stamina to shadow-mark him all night long. Gary Cahill would do better covering the other defenders rather than man-marking anyone. There is no guarantee this will work since Barca will realize the marking and change their system, so that’s why we need to stay flexible in defence. Also, with the first leg at the Bridge, we have to counter-attack and get at their defence whenever we get the ball because otherwise Barca will pin us back with their tiki-taka.

After Wembley, I fully believe we can score against Barca. It’s all about whether we can defend them.

sources: rob greissinger for the allardyce quotes and zonalmarking.net for the image and the mourinho insight.

I think david luiz is our for both legs but I don't really agree with using david luiz against messi. David Luiz is quick and mobile but his challenge is very rash.

Messi thrive against player like that, you need a smart player that know when to make a challenge to stop messi. Allesandro nesta showed that in quarter final, I thought he played messi really well even though he was beaten a couple times because he was not fast enough anymore.

[Strike 6,958]

Good read I liked it. I think David Luiz is an interesting choice for messi but maybe. I mostly notice Luiz mess up when he has the ball deep in our half and doesn't clear it but that is offensive not defensive.

But he's suspended for the first leg. I wonder what rdm has up his sleeve for today

[capriccioso 2,545]

Strike should become a full time journalist

[Strike 6,958]

I think david luiz is our for both legs but I don't really agree with using david luiz against messi. David Luiz is quick and mobile but his challenge is very rash.

Messi thrive against player like that, you need a smart player that know when to make a challenge to stop messi. Allesandro nesta showed that in quarter final, I thought he played messi really well even though he was beaten a couple times because he was not fast enough anymore.

Yeah. I thought of that but when was the last time Luiz was seen doing something rash? He has been excellent since that Napoli game. Only criticism of late is his inability to clear. and with messi, a couple of body checks will do no harm

anyway with luiz out for first leg atleast, Ramires will do a good job imo. He has the pace and the stamina but RDM will put him in the right wing where he will be tracking back to either Iniesta or Cuenca and the full back Adriano/Puyol

[Strike 6,958]

Strike should become a full time journalist

i am flattered by your sarcasm

[capriccioso 2,545]

i am flattered by your sarcasm

I'm being sincere

[Strike 6,958]

I'm being sincere

then i ask you " Are you drunk?" seems a bit early in the day

[Strike 6,958]

David Luiz ruled out of both legs. renders this article moot

[capriccioso 2,545]

then i ask you " Are you drunk?" seems a bit early in the day

No

Your articles are great which is why I suggested it

[Strike 6,958]

No

Your articles are great which is why I suggested it

damn luiz for gettin injured

anyway, thanks for the appreciation

[manpe 10,855]

Well, the safest way to keep him at bay, and the whole barca team - play 11 men behind the ball when they have it. When we're attacking, give the ball to our playmaker (Cech) and hoof it up to Drogba. Yeah, I can definitely see that working.

In all seriousness though, it will be the most interesting set of matches tactically by far. You don't meet teams in England who play without a striker. When a team has an assigned striker through the middle, then there are always certain basics you have to do defensively, but a dynamic front 3 has its own challenges. For example, when aerial ability plays a major part in day to day English matches, then this time our defense will need to work twice as hard on ground level. It will be interesting to see how we approach that, the zonal marking setup and all. The most important issue probably is to avoid having them rolling the ball around our box and combining with eachother, pressing aggressively and effectively once they reach that area will be vital. Easier said than done, because a small lapse in concentration leaving too much free space, we'll be riding our luck (which with barca is always near unexistent).