[ad_1]
Things could become rather Messi for Liverpool.
I apologize for the horrible word play, but the greatest footballer on the planet probably has the habit of breaking the dreams of other teams and leaving them in small pieces.
At its best level, Lionel Messi can bewitch and antagonize his opponents with the most skillful film.
"I think he's the best player in the world," said Virgil van Dijk, the Liverpool defender, about the Barcelona legend.
"But you see how we play and how we defend. We do not defend a [against] First, we all defend together and we all tackle together so that we can see. We will be ready for him, "he added.
So goes blue-eyed fans from Beijing to Bangkok. They will remain awake until the early morning of Thursday morning to witness the live streaming of the confrontation in the semifinals of Barca with Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.
Messi has become an effective antidote to blues midweek for many of these wheelchair supporters who crisscross the Asian region.
The small Argentinean has scored 46 goals this season and has won 10 titles in La Liga or Spain. He has also helped Barcelona to win four times the biggest club competition in Europe. A win against Liverpool would put him 180 minutes behind a fifth title.
charismatic
In addition, in the pantheon of the great, he gets closer to the charismatic Diego Maradona and polished Pelé, without ever winning a World Cup. Today, only the former hero of Real Madrid and the superstar Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo, is in the same league – among the pygmies of football.
"The only thing that matters is playing," says Messi. "I've enjoyed it since my childhood and I still try to do it every time I get on a pitch.
"I always say that when I do not appreciate it anymore or it's more fun to do it, I will not do it anymore. I do it because I love it and that's all I'm interested in, "he added.
While Messi is no longer a young man at 31, the goals are just as incredible. Breathtaking free kicks have always been his hallmark, as well as the perpetual golf-style "tokens" on confused goalkeepers, whether they have one foot or the other. The time and the space seem to stop when he has the balloon.
Naturally, adulation and wealth have followed his incredible feats. With an annual salary of $ 84 million and $ 27 million in advances, Messi is the highest paid football player in the world.
But financial rewards are only a byproduct of its success. "Money is not a motivator," said Messi. "Money does not excite me and does not allow me to play better because there are benefits to being rich.
"I'm just happy with a ball at my feet. My motivation comes from the game that I love. If I was not paid to be a professional footballer, I would play for nothing, "he added.
Philosophy
Indeed, it is the philosophy of a man that Liverpool must stop at the Nou Camp. In the quarter-final against Manchester United, another English Premier League club, Messi is rioting.
Two goals in 20 minutes in the second leg of the second leg saw the Red Devils go to hell in the Champions League. He was literally on fire.
Still, Liverpool can still dream.
"I do not want to tempt fate but I think [we] are better equipped to face Lionel Messi than Manchester United at Nou Camp, "said Danny Murphy, the former Liverpool midfielder.
"They have to worry about [him], of course, but not obsessively. Stopping Messi is not easy, but if you're looking for a midfielder three to do the job, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Gino Wijnaldum would be almost at the top of the list, "he told the Daily Mail, a newspaper based in London.
Still, advice comes from an unlikely source. Pep Guardiola led Messi when he was head coach of Barca between 2008 and 2012.
Now in charge of Manchester City and caught in a duel with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for the EPL title this season, his comments are revealing. "Do not try to describe it, do not try to write about it, look at it," he says simply.
Of course, the danger of doing so could lead to the Messi effect. For Liverpool, it would be fatal.
Barcelona v Liverpool, first leg, semifinal, Champions League. Check here the schedules in your area and your city.
Source link
