Teams
* Barcelona
* Real Madrid
Perhaps Manuel Pellegrini should rub Aladdin's magic lamp and put the Lionel Messi Genie back inside it. Or maybe he should handcuff him and then tie him to a tree in the woods on Saturday night. Maybe send a Deluge and specifically tell Noah not to allow Messi to enter his Ark. Or perhaps get him drunk on Friday night.
The problem is that Messi is so nimble and so magnanimously tiny that he could easily dribble his way out of the lamp without any rubbing of its side. He is so magical that he could actually re-enact Harry Houdini and wriggle free of any handcuffs and ropes. Even if a Deluge were sent, you cannot help feeling that Messi would actually be able to walk on the water. And if Messi gets drunk on Friday night, there is a probability that the wine would turn into water inside him.
But the Real Madrid coach has to find a solution and stop the unstoppable Argentina. But what is that solution? What is that method by which Messi can be stopped? Here are a list of those probable and not-so-probable strategies that could help Madrid stop the world's best player on Saturday night.
Kick, Kick, Kick
Think of Pele in the 1966 World Cup finals. Think of Diego Armando Maradona whenever he played. Now think of Lionel Messi on December 13, 2008. While Pele was kicked out of the World Cup by Portugal and Maradona got kicked, shoved and bullied whenever he took to the pitch, Messi came under some rather blunt and unsavoury but cunningly creative Machiavellian treatment from Juande Ramos' Real Madrid. The defenders and midfielders in White took turns to kick him at Camp Nou and it was so organised that you would have thought that it was part of football's textbook.
Yet as you would have in a Hollywood movie, the hero eventually vanquished the villain and in the end despite all the dark arts put into practice, Messi eventually emerged victorious. He scored the second and decisive goal and Juande Ramos' well-laid plans came crashing down. On Saturday night, a similar plan could be put into practice especially as the game is at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But the problem is that like Maradona, Messi has got used to kicking. While El Diego's defence mechanisms worked in kicking back (on several occasions) as well as in not getting bullied, Messi's work by not letting go of the ball. The 22-year-old can be kicked, pulled back, shirt tugged and pants stripped off him but rest assured, he will do whatever humanly possible to stay on his feet and run with the ball.
Leo makes light work of Cannavaro
Double Marking
Messi was the best player last season, too, but against Chelsea in the Champions League he did get shut out for large periods of the game. Of course, in the end it was his assist that led to the Blues' exit but Messi wasn't really the all-conquering, all-consuming force in those 180 minutes. The reason is very simple: he was marked by three and at times four players.
Now, Real Madrid cannot afford to put all their eggs in one basket and deploy 10 men on Messi's toes. But maybe a double-marking system could help. Pellegrini is likely to play Alvaro Arbeloa as left-back and Marcelo on the left side of midfield and given that Messi usually starts on the right, the Chilean will likely double-team the Argentine.
However, the problem with this is that Messi isn't always glued to the right. In several games such as against Arsenal at Camp Nou in midweek, the best player in the world has drifted inside so many times that you would be pardoned for thinking that he was playing the role of a withdrawn centre-forward. It is certain that Messi will peel to the centre and this means that Dani Alves will have room on the right and then Messi could slice the ball to him. If Arbeloa and Marcelo are asked to mark him all the time, then when Messi drifts in, he will drag both of them with him, leaving his fellow players with space.
Will Marcelo & Arbeloa need Ronaldo's help to stop Messi?
Shadow Marking
What about keeping a player constantly on Messi? Like a dog following its master, like a little kid tagging along to his bigger brother, Madrid can deploy one specific player to become the second shadow of Messi and go wheresoever the Argentine goes (only on the pitch, that is, not off it!). It will certainly be annoying for the 22-year-old as he will have someone constantly nibbling at his legs.
However, the problem with 'shadow marking' is deciding which player to deploy. Probably a central defender or maybe Arbeloa, but if it is a central defender, then the concern is that Messi will be intelligent enough to find a team-mate to pass the ball to, outstrip his marker, collect the return pass and score. And one should doubt whether Arbeloa alone is enough to keep Messi under check.
Keep Messi At Arm's Length
'El Mesias' is the best dribbler in the world but he is not necessarily the best when it comes to shooting from long distance. His shots have enough power and venom in them to tear apart the opposition's net but is it a mere coincidence that most of Messi's goals tend to come from in and around the penalty area? Of course, he is capable of the divine chip and the sublime lob but how many times have you seen him let fly from 30 yards Cristiano Ronaldo-style?
Messi's talent enables hm to get past everyone between the centre circle and the goal but when it comes to long range blinders, well, let us just say that he is not very good at that. Now, if Madrid have to deny Messi goalscoring chances, then they will have to keep him as far away from goal as possible. Again, this will take collective effort and will include the retaining of possession, but if Leo is not allowed a clear sight of goal, then his effectiveness could be curbed.
Messi admiring his own artwork
But then again, Messi is not only the best player on the ball, he is also the world's greatest, or at least one of the greatest, off it. Stuttgart tried to prevent Messi from receiving the ball but they eventually relinquished this idea. The Argentinian's runs, positional sense and creation of space for himself means that Madrid will invariably find him in and around their penalty box. Unless, of course, they hack him down in midfield.
Pressure On Barca's Backline
Barcelona's individual talent and quality is ethereal and a level too high for any club in the world but their collective strength is easily the best too. Stopping Messi does give you an edge but concentrating too much on him liberates the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Dani Alves. Which is why Madrid will have to see that they keep the entire Barcelona side under check.
No, this is not easy and in all likelihood Madrid will fail to do so on Saturday night but the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo does give them an advantage. In November 2009 at Camp Nou when the neo-Galacticos were just settling down into their rhythm, they played their best football of the season. And it wasn't by parking everyone in a White shirt in front of goal but by taking on Barcelona head-on. This weekend, Madrid will have to adopt a similar approach.
Barcelona's Achilles' heel is the fear of pace at the back which Arsenal exposed in two of their three goals in the Champions League and that is how Madrid should strike. Put pressure on Barca's rearguard and see that they are not able to pass the ball back from the deep, implying that Messi has to drop deeper than he usually does, which would in turn increase the distance between him and the Madrid goal, thankfully for Iker Casillas.
Go To Church Or Use Dark Magic
Or maybe Real Madrid can simply go to church on Saturday morning instead of Sunday morning. Perhaps the Lord would listen to them and take away Messi's divine powers for one night.
Or better still, Madrid can concoct some sort of voodoo spell. You never know: dark magic may just work when everything else fails.
What do you think Real Madrid's tactics should be in stopping Lionel Messi in El Clasico? Do you think that the Argentine can be stopped? naijapal.com wants to know what YOU think.
| Posted: at | |
ishola1000
vantheo
malvin2525
Solidstonez
chicco77
PoliticxGuru
TRENDING GISTS 
Farmer, Terkula Chile Remanded Over Attempted Murder In Benue
Faces Of Four Full Grown Men Nabbed For Alleged Transformer Theft In Ebonyi
Portable Brags About His International Status As A Caucasian Lady Requests For A Photo With Him
Jubilation In Nigeria As Many Are Currently Receiving N50k Inside Their Account From Tinubu's Govt
JUST IN: FCCPC Shuts Down Popular 4U Supermarket in Abuja Over ‘Unfair Pricing’
Infamous 'Womb Raider' Bags 50yr Jail Term After Ripping Out Baby From a Heavily Pregnant Teen