The Spoiler attempts to explain the Argentinian’s inconsistency
A strange thing tends to happen when Lionel Messi pulls on an Argentina shirt - generally speaking, he loses the dazzling talent that made him the centre piece in Barcelona’s triple-winning season. But why does this happen? As the Albicelestes prepare for a vital clash with Peru on Saturday, Spoiler correspondent Sam Williams gives five possible reasons for his inconsistent form on the international stage…
The manager
Comparisons with Maradona are inescapable, particularly when the manager forces the iconic number 10 shirt on Messi. Before the recent World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Paraguay, Maradona said of his star player: “We’ve been heaping responsibility onto him. He’s fast, concentrated, totally committed. He knows the chance he has.” Argentina duly lost both games.
Messi is consistently outstanding for Barcelona because he plays in a liberated, care-free manner. He knows how good he is, and if Maradona lets him get on with it, he could help dig Argentina out of the World Cup Qualification hole they find themselves in.
The formation
In the aforementioned defeat to Paraguay in Asuncion, Messi was deployed up-front in a 4-4-2 formation. For all his attacking qualities, five-foot-seven Messi isn’t an out-and-out striker and he couldn’t impose himself against the big, physical Paraguayan centre-backs. Alongside a target-man
Which division would triumph in an MLS All-Stars style match?
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The Spoiler was surprised by the results of yesterday’s poll, where 76% of you disagreed with Cristiano Ronaldo’s claim that La Liga was stronger than the Premier League.
That poll took into account a number of factors: for example the difference between the best and worst teams, entertainment value and European success. Today, we want to focus on which is the better league in terms of galacticos.
Let us know which of the two teams we’ve created to represent each league is stronger - and if you disagree with our line-ups tell us who you would pick instead - with a vote and comment below:
Athletic Bilbao/Barcelona, Copa del Rey Final, 9pm BST
There couldn’t be a more fitting final to this year’s Copa del Rey- the two most successful teams in the competition’s history vying to become the first to win it 25 times (if you count 1902 as a Bilbao triumph, that is).
If you were looking forward to the prospect of thousands of Catalan and Basque fans jeering both him and the Spanish national anthem, however, you may be disappointed. Despite showing most of the group stages, Sky have opted not to show the final in the UK, as tennis, cricket and Wigan’s mauling at the hands of Manchester Utd have been given a higher priority.
Barcelona are missing Rafael Marquez, Eric Abidal, Andres Iniesta and Thierry Henry, and are struggling with fatigue ahead of their 12th match in 40 days. Here’s why Athletic Bilbao may be worth backing at a generous 7.2 with Betfair:
» Bilbao are hitting form at the right time having won three and drawn one of their last five, killing off any danger of a relegation battle.
» They also have a massive fitness advantage having played four games less than Barcelona since the start of April.
Chelsea 1/ Barcelona 1 (Aggregate 1-1, Barcelona progress on away goals rule)
After 90 minutes of utter domination* over the supposed best team in the world, Chelsea may have felt confident of a second successive Champions League final. However, in the 93rd, Andres Iniesta cancelled out Michael Essien’s superb opener with Barcelona’s first shot on target of the game.
The real star of the show, of course, was Norwegian referee Tom Henning Øvrebø. His laughably shite performance included a completely unnecessary sending off and the refusal of four penalty claims, at least three of which were definite fouls.
While the result is devastating for Chelsea fans, at least the neutrals can now look forward to the prospect of a vaguely interesting final.
*As some commenters pointed out, this clearly isn’t right. Read “utter domination over” as “resilient defending against”
The latest transfer gossip, rumours and damned lies
Andres Iniesta to Manchester City
Those who didn’t spend the Bank Holiday weekend in the company of tabloid newspapers may have missed the News of the World’s latest Manchester City scoop. Apparently, Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta is on the hit list, and the opening bid is likely to be around £35m.
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: City will almost certainly bag a “box office signing” in the summer break, but the contract that keeps Iniesta at the Nou Camp until 2014 might be a stumbling block.
Tom Huddlestone and Gareth Bale to Fulham
Tom Huddlestone has been letting the world know he is unhappy about slipping down ‘Arry’s pecking order of late (”I am not young any more; I need to be playing week-in and week-out”), and admits he may leave White hart Lane in the summer. The Daily Express report that Fulham are interested, and the West Londoners will also inquire after the services of Gareth Bale.
The Spoiler truth-o-meter: This wouldn’t be the first time Fulham
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