FIFA World Cup 2014 - GROUP F [Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran, Nigeria - 15/16/21/25 June] **sp

I'd happily allow someone to tie me to a chair, pour petrol over and remove both ears if I didn't need to listen to Lawrenson's delightful brand of commentary ever again.
 
I wouldn't say that, they gave Messi the ball quite a bit he held on to it either too long, or tried not particularly difficult passes and was just not accurate. If we're calling Messi a striker, he's sitting very deep and getting the ball sometimes in his own half, he's been pretty awful.

I really don't know what the deal is, for barca even when he scored even a couple of goals his entire performance wasn't a patch on Messi in any season from the last 6 years. Entirely different player, confidence, injury? Doesn't show the same pace, absolutely not the same explosive acceleration which is really the thing that made his first touch so useful, he'd flick the ball in a different direction and he'd be yards away before the other guy even starts after him.

As with Giggs and other dribblers, a huge advantage is moving at such a high pace while dribbling makes defenders simply scared to make the tackle because they think they'll miss the ball. When Messi is moving at 2/3rd's his normal pace, people are tackling him more often, defenders are more confident of winning the ball off him.

Could be hiding some long term injury, trying to keep it quiet. Just an almost completely different player to 18 months ago.
 
Wow, don't often see a team 1-0 up making two changes at half time because they are so poo. It's kind of the right call but then, the conditions are very tough so I wouldn't be sure that you wouldn't have more than one knackered player towards the end of the game. Could be leaving themselves vulnerable later in the game to tiredness.

I figured we'd get the usual, tactical change and maybe a sub or two after 10-15 mins.
 
Tiny deflection taking it in? Either way, first time he really did the one two and moved at pace and goal. Something wrong that he only tried that basically once in the entire game.
 
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