Lionel MESSI scores hat-trick in FC Barcelona win

By
Juli2014
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32
Lionel Messi FC Barcelona Argentina
Lionel Messi FC Barcelona Argentina

Hey everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. The man has done it again. This has put a smile to my face on the weekend. Lionel MESSI has scored another hat-trick on the weekend versus La Liga team Leganes. It is his 40th of his Barcelona career; a very impressive feat to say the least.  Barcelona have also equaled the record: longest unbeaten run in La Liga history which is now at 38 unbeaten league games. His hat-trick saw him join Liverpool’s Mohamed SALAH at the top of Europe with 29 goals which equal to 58 points in the European Golden Shoe ranking. This has been another great season for the wonderful MESSI and Barcelona.

Check out his goals:

Do you think it would have been different with MESSI on the field against Spain in that last international friendly? Can MESSI actually inspire our national team players during the World Cup? Feel free to discuss it all here!

As always,

VAMOS ARGENTINA!!

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32 Comments

  6. It takes strongest desire to be born like superbly created soul Lionel Messi. It is a wonder of nature to create something that dazzles you every time you look at it.Nature is conspiring Messi to Win this World Cup.With over Billions of Humanity praying for him, surely their prayers will be heard. Pure Bliss is waiting for you this July. Salvation of Argentina Fans……

  7. if Argentina wants to win world cup, Messi should be played closer to goal. As a long time Barca and Messi fan, where ever Messi comes too deep barca struggle and make opponent stronger. As opponent coach, ideal is if Messi drop deep and Hugain lead the line as this guarantee Hugain to miss a chance and Messi to not get a shot at goal. Pep perfectly used Messi ability to destroy opponent in final third however Luis Enrique did not like it. Hence Barca were knocked out of CL. In fact during luis Enrique era, Messi did not score in classico where as Suarez miss chance after chance. Valverde realized that and hope fully Sampoali also realized that. Just imagine if there was Hugain in last qualifying match against Ecquador, we would be missing world cup and every one will be blaming Messi. However for god’s grace, Hugain was not there.

  8. Although I normally do not post line ups, I think I will make an exception at this point. Instead of just putting down names, I will try to explain why I chose them.

    System: 4-4-2
    Most club teams play this system so many players are used to this system. Since Valverde changed to his system Barca went unbeaten in La Liga so far and Messi is said to feel comfortable with 4 midfielders. A system with 3 defenders is no option as our defenders lack pace and are not used playing in a three men defensive system.

    Keepers
    Unless they are injured, Caballero and Romero will go the WC. Both are bench warmers at their club but perform reasonably well despite the lack of playing time. For the third keeper I would pick either Werner (currently at Atletico) or Rulli. They are both young and could use the experience of a big tournament. Chances they will play are small, so therefore I would not pick another 30+ year old but someone who can learn at the big stage for the future.

    Defenders
    For the starting line-up I would pick Tagliafico, Garay, Otamendi and Ansaldi. In interviews Tagliafico shows he is eager to learn (he is very much into tactics) and aims to be the next Zanetti or Jordi Alba. He is pretty fast and his positioning is getting better, runs forward and has several assists already. Garay is a powerhouse at Valencia, has lots of experience, plays every week, can take a penalty, is strong in the air and a decent passer. Otamendi’s performances have declined over the past few weeks but he has been overused at Man City. With a couple of weeks rest at the end of the season he will be back at full strength come mid June. For the right back position many players have been considered but no one really convinced me. I would go for Ansaldi because of experience, tackling, height and passing.
    Subs: Mercado, Fazio, Pezzella and Acuna

    Midfielders
    For the starting line-up I would choose Lanzini, Parades, LoCelso and J.Correa. All four are still young, full of energy, decent passers and able to score a goal. They all think forward and fit the attacking and pressing strategy Sampaoli is known for. During the game against Italy LoCelso, Parades and Lanzini all did a fine job at tracking back and helping out defence. Correa often stands out at Sevilla and should be a starter.
    Subs: DiMaria, Banega, Pavon

    Attackers
    Upfront I would start with Messi and Aguero and hope they can work together like back in the Olympics in 2008. They have known each other since their teenage years, like each other and won’t be selfish if the other is in a better position to score. Aguero’s history with the NT is far from convincing, but under Pep he has become a more complete player.

    If we fall behind and desperately need a goal, I would take Parades off and put Icardi on the pitch. Messi drops back behind the two strikers and rearrange the midfield into a diamond. If things do not go as planned the second sub should be DiMaria or Perotti for Correa. DiMaria has his downsides but he will provide more sparks on the left flank. In case we need to defend a lead, we could bring on Acuna for Correa or Lanzini. In case Messi gets injured I would bring Dybala. They claim they can’t play together but if Messi can’t continue or needs rest Dybala can take his role behind the number 9.

    Selection
    Caballero, Romero, Werner / Rulli
    Tagliafico, Garay, Otamendi, Ansaldi, Mercado, Fazio, Pezzela, Acuna
    Lanzini, Parades, LoCelso, J.Correa, DiMaria, Banega, Pavon
    Messi, Aguero, Icardi, Dybala, Perotti

    During the Spain match it became painfully clear that Mascherano is no longer the player he was. Biglia and Higuain could be useful, but both have had enough opportunities. Enough has been said on those two.

      • We could swap Banega for Pizzaro or Battaglia if we want to put the accent on a more defensive type. I chose Banega because his trackrecord coming on as a sub is quite good. He scored quite a few winning goals as a sub. Pizarro and Battaglia don’t score many goals, but do have other qualities.

    • Well explained dude

      I too support 4-4-2, and higuain and biglia just waste you can findout easily. They cant press 90min and slow pace also

      Mascherano can be in bench coz he played psg comback in 3cb position. He hav experiencd to help in defence if played in CDM.

      Pizaaro is my pick as a starter. He is also good inside box

      Lanzini/pavon, Pizaaro, Locelso, Meza/perotti

      Dimaria also bad in pressing so bench him as super sub

      A. Correa and J. Correa can also combine well with Messi

      If Aguero is injured again. I will start dybala /Martinez as both are good finishers with good pace. Also will press unlike ICARDI. So icardi shud be super sub, hes only a killer inside box

      4-4-2 my pick
      Romero
      Acuna
      Otamendi
      Garay
      Mercado(gud in defence)/
      Ansaldi and tagliafico (gud in attack)

      Midfield
      Lanzini sub(Pavon)
      Locelso sub(banega)
      Pizaaro sub(mascherano)
      Meza sub(perroti/dimaria)

      Attack
      Messi sub(Dybala)
      Aguero sub(Martinez)

      Squad for 4-4-2
      Messi
      Aguero
      Dybala
      Martinez
      Icardi

      Locelso
      Lanzini
      Benega
      Pizaaro
      Dimaria
      Meza/paredes/any other better player
      Perroti
      Pavon

      A. Correa and J. Correa can also be looked on their current form

      Garay
      Otamendi
      Mercado
      Mascherano
      Ansaldi
      Acuna
      Tagliafico

      Bustos/pezzella/rojo/fazio all are bad in defence
      Mori can be tested in coming friendlies

      If mascherano is snubbed then locelso can be tried in CDM with Pizaaro. Psg vs real, locelso played CDM

      WE DONT NEED OLD LEGS (HIGUAIN, BIGLIA) WITH SLOW PACE IN WORLD CUP. YOUNG LEGS CAN PRESS 90MIN

  9. People are trying to use the 6-1 Spain win over Argentina to dismiss the team overall world cup chances in Russia this summer which is absurd. I was embarrassed at the time to witness Argentina losing 6-1 to Spain, but at the end of the day, it was just a friendly game. An international friendly is no different from a club team playing preseason friendlies before the start of the new club season; games in which Manchester City defeated Real Madrid by 5 goals and Liverpool defeating Barcelona by 4 goals to 0. These scorelines would have never happen in an official game.

    Sampaoli went into the game against a Spanish side that have been playing together for several years while his Argentina team was experimenting with four players starting without even having 10 caps between themselves, Rojo coming off a long term injury, and trying out Banega behind the striker when his original position is playing deep in midfield. Add all this up with the injuries of Messi, Aguero, Di Maria and Lanzini going into the game. With all this being said, Argentina was in the game when it was 2-1 at the 60-minute mark and had the edge in possession against a Spanish team who had been playing in the same system for years. I’m sure Sampaoli could have shut up shop and say to his players, lets defend so that we can tie or only lose the game by 2 goals to 1 against Spain. But then the question would be, what was the point of playing a friendly game if the coach can’t try out different tactics and formation no matter the opposition? It’s not like the game winner was about to get a winning gold medal.

    For years Argentina have been winning friendlies with ease, beating Germany three times in their own country yet couldn’t get pass them when it matter the most. The friendly game against Spain will turn out to be a blessing for Argentina in the long run. Argentina defeated Spain in Buenos Aires by 4 goals to 1 and everyone dismiss it, so why is it that people can’t look pass the ”meaningless” friendly game defeat against Spain in Madrid? Germany lost 5-1 to England in a pre-2002 world cup friendly game and that same German team was a finalist at the 2002 world cup.

    Let’s see this same Spanish team up against Argentina strongest starting XI then we can have an honest discussion. As far as I’m concern, Spain played against an experimental Argentinean team who needed practice time playing together while the host put out their strongest team minus Busquest in midfield. Argentina lost the battle against Spain, but the war is yet to be won. Argentina have won three battle against Germany in the past while Germany end up winning three wars (WC) over Argentina. Argentina played all their best trump cards during the friendly games against Germany. Sometime losing in the short term is a good strategy for winning in the longer term. Spain used all their cards on Argentina in what was a friendly game, they have no room to grow.

    Moreover, minus those defensive mistakes Argentina made earlier on which led to Spain scoring, the host would be struggling against a below strength Argentina team. The truth is, Sampaoli going into the world cup was never going to have enough game on his side to quickly turnaround Argentina fortunes. Also, Sampaoli is trying to implement a team oriented playing philosophy onto the Argentina national team which we haven’t seen since 2004,2006 and 2007. In my opinion, this is Sampaoli goal, he is trying to have Argentina play solid, coherent and effective football. The thing is, his approach can take years to accomplish, but let’s hope he gets the right formula by the time the world cup comes around.

    The AFA and the previous coaches with the Argentina national team didn’t left Sampaoli with any foundation to build on, and this has always been Argentina problem since the Sergio Batista days. Teams like Spain and Germany have been building a national team system for over a decade now. While in Argentina, the media, the critics, and the fans just want to see the Argentina national team hitting a straight flush every time they set foot on a football pitch without no long term blue print for success. Argentina had three different coaches in the span of eight months. Now ask yourself this, how many times did Germany and Spain change coaches in the last decade? Uruguay is a tiny country compare to Argentina yet they have stability throughout their football federation. Even when Uruguay fail to qualify directly for the world in 2010 people weren’t calling for Óscar Tabárez to be ousted, instead Uruguay went on to make the semifinal of the 2010 world cup and later on won the 2011 Copa America.

    Argentina have shown over the last several years that they are a tournament team and Sampaoli is also tournament coach. I believe the Argentina national team will be ready by the time the world cup comes around. International games played during qualifiers and friendlies won’t have any impact on the 2018 world cup whatsoever. Pre world cup games have never been a good indication of what will happen during the tournament. Nobody was talking about Costa Rica before the 2014 world cup and look how well they did knocking out both England and Italy during the group stage. Out of all the teams during the 2010 world cup, Paraguay was arguably the toughest team Spain face during the knockout stage. This same Spanish team lost their opening game during the 2010 group stage yet still went on to win the cup. Teams approach to games at the world cup is different from that of friendlies and even 2 legged qualifiers. At the world cup, small teams in recent years have become giants on football biggest stage. The defeat against Spain will be in the rear view mirror by the time the group stage of the world cup comes around. It’s best to peak at the world cup rather than peaking during WCQ qualifiers and meaningless friendly games. Sampaoli have now played 10 games with Argentina and called up ‘’100’’ players both overseas and local, he will now get to decide out of those ‘’100’’ players who is in and who is out, what worked for him and what didn’t work during those ten games and training sessions.

  10. Messi is Messi.
    As much as we all want to believe it, La Pulga Atomica cant win the WC on his own…….rest of the team needs to DO THEIR JOBS.

    Idiot strikers need to capitalize on their chances and not just stand their drooling while watching Messi.

    Mids need to both defend and attack for their lives.

    Back-line….no brainier DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND.

    ROMERO>>>>>>do what you did in 2014>>>>nothing less.

  12. My only reason for hope when it comes to @Argentina‘s World Cup chances is Lionel Messi. Over the last 26 int’l games in which Messi has played, Argentina has lost just 1 game in regular fashion (2 losses on penalties). 18 wins and 5 draws. The Messi Difference. @MundoAlbicelest

    What I mean here is, If Sampaoli selects good players who can combine well with MESSI in attack, then Argentina will lift WORLD CUP.

    Also have a STRONG feeling about this WC. SINCE ARG LOST 4 FINALS, 3 BAK TO BAK finals14,15,16. THIS MIGHT BE THE YEAR FOR GLORY

    Paulinho succeeded in barca only coz combining Well with Messi. 8gols he scored coz of Messi and Same paulinho is not even good if we compare with Busquets anf rakitic. Paulinho play schit in midfield. Just good inside the box
    So Sampaoli should find box to box mid like paulinho

    Moreover Sampaoli should dumb NO PACE HIGUAIN AND BIGLIA

    Romero
    —–
    ——

    Garay
    Otamendi
    Mercado
    Acuna
    Tagliafico
    ——
    ——
    (Fazio/Rojo/Mori/Pezella/Bustos)

    Lo celso
    Lanzini
    Meza
    Dimaria
    Pizaaro/Mascherano
    —–
    —–
    —–
    (Lamela/Battaglia/Paredes
    Enzo/Augusto/Pablo/A.Correa/Salvio)

    Messi
    Dybala
    Aguero
    —–
    —–
    (Perroti/Icardi/Martinez/Pavon/J. Correa)

    Hope SAMPAOLI selects 5 X-factor MARTINEZ, MEZA, DYBALA, LANZINI, LOCELSO.

  13. The little genius is our only hope of winning the World Cup in Russia. The only problem is that for all our coaches he is our plan A, B, C and Z. Simply give the ball to Messi and wait for magic to happen. What if a team succeeds in man marking him or he simply has an off day, who can step up and deliver?

  14. Armani or River was great against Racing yesterday. I think he still has a chance to be one of the three goalies for us. Sampaoli was at the game.

    • Absolutely true. If Argentina wants to win World Cup, Messi needs to play closer to goal than ever. Luis Enrique tried to play Messi out of goals as much as possible(focusing on suarez), results were they were knocked out of CL in last two season. This season Valverde recognized that and play Messi upfront with Suarez(Sometime messi can come deep). We should play Augero and Messi interchangeably positing as false 9 to be more effective. Relying on Hugain will again cost us.

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