To comment the viral video of Messi not pressing, I'll borrow the words of a famous philosopher : it is what it is! All in all, IMHO it's better to have the GOAT who doesn't press than a very good player who presses like crazy. Also, it's not Barça's *main* problem.
IMO it should rather be seen as a stimulating intellectual/tactical challenge for coaches : how do you build the team while having 1 player who contributes little defensively? What other collective means can you use to solve the problem?
That's the job of a manager (in the broad sense of the term) : You're given some assets, some liabilities, and you have to make something that works out of it.
Luis Enrique found a formula (Messi to the right, Suárez pressing like crazy as CF, Rakitic compensating)

When Suárez' pressing capacities dropped, Valverde found another formula (medium block, 2 lines of 4, more emphasis on direct attacks)

Now Koeman has to find a new formula
You can follow @CaptnGuardiola.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:

By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.