Messi doesn't start flying as the 'false nine' of the Barça

The Barcelona arrived to the highest with Pep Guardiola in 2009 when, among others appearances, entered to Lionel Messi as 'false nine' in a Classical in front of the Real Madrid in Santiago Bernabéu. 11 years afterwards, Ronald Koeman looks for that the rosarino return to the position that turned him into the most important player of the world but, at least in the first three parties, Messi has showed more than uncomfortable and his numbers reflect it.

The season of the Barcelona began with the implementation of the system 4-2-3-1, one that already the technician blaugrana, Ronald Koeman, tested in the Dutch selection and that gave him very good results. With this proposal, that has had a good effect in the exert of the team to date, the Dutch looks for that Messi return to the position with which marvelled to the world under the orders of Pep Guardiola.

Koeman Looks for dosificar the efforts of the captain culé and that do not have to look for so many balloons in the centre of the field. In this approach, looks for that the balloons arrive 'clean' to Messi in the nearest metres to the rival area, without that see in the need to be he the one who look for them, break, believes offensive superiority and finish, in a lot of cases, defining of face to the arch.

The ancestor of Koeman, Quique Setién, tested to Messi in several occasions like false nine and resulted that the Argentinian left to be so effective. It annotated less goals, gave less assistances and dribbled much less. During the past season, with Luis Suárez lesionado, in the victory blaugrana 1-0 in front of the Granada, the Spanish trainer decided to plant to the rosarino of false nine.

In this meeting, Messi played in the centre and only in punctual moments moved to the band to receive balloons. Although it annotated the goal of the victory, hardly had two shots (of five) to door and completed two of seven dribblings. Playing in the right band, with Valverde and Setién, the international by Argentina had more dribblings and shots to the arch.

In the most recent party of LaLiga, in front of the Seville, Messi was imprecise in the passes and to the moment to dribble, one of his specialitys. It has not finished of despegar this season, further of the goal of penalti in front of the Villarreal, in the goleada 4-0 in the Camp Nou, and the autogol of Pau Torres, of the Celtic of Vigo, that he same caused.

It is the position or the state of spirit?

Leo Messi already has 33 years and is living one of his last seasons in the highest level. In addition to his age, the controversy during the summer by the possible exit of the club of his life has been the detonante so that each one of his actions was under a lupa.

Until the moment, has annotated a goal and finished in nine opportunities, six of them to the arch. Could think that his level answers to the fact that it wants to culminate his stage in the club, but Messi has showed to be a professional and would not go down his effectiveness. By the contrary, as it has affirmed he and his trainer, finds engaged to carry to the Barça to the highest.

The true is that in the last campaigns, the forward blaugrana has left to see that it feels comfortable like right extreme and, from there, has had great freedom to create played, recover balloons and be he the one who determine the rhythm of the party of the Barcelona.

Still it is very early to define if it has to remain by the band or go back to the position that carried him to the highest. In any one of the cases, already Messi has said in several opportunities that the years do not happen in vain and every time is more difficult to keep the rhythm with the age. The Barça –and Koeman– have to give him time to settle and, in some way, go back to accustomed completely to this position and like this go back to the level to the that has accustomed us in the club.