Messi is the great winner of Argentina-Brazil (Yahoo)

If there was a winner in the friendly match between Argentina and Brazil, in Doha, the last Wednesday, it was, undoubtly, Lionel Messi. The supercrack of the Barcelona, author of the single goal in the last moment of the match, he could frighten away several sentences that were surrounding him in only ninety minutes.
Among them, it was said that in view of what happened in the past World Championship in South Africa, it did not concern a player with much character and that in the Argentinean team he did not render same as in Barcelona. The truth is that Messi was the only player of his team that in days previous to the match with Brazil said clearly that “it is already time to win them because in the last five years we didn’t and it is necessary to win at any cost” and this did not stay in a sentence only but it was him, with determination, made the effort to define in the last minute with a play of style which he uses to perform in his club.
But not only this. This Messi has already even the physic much more of a man than of a boy, when he is a half year from the 24, an age that in football is not of juveniles anymore and it begins to show his specific weight in the Argentinean team in which the one that takes decisions is leader outside the stadium and in any moment there will produce the transfer of the captain ribbon of his companion in the Barcelona and friend, Javier Mascherano, who understands the situation and knows well that this moment is a transition only.
When the match ended, in press conference the confirmed Argentinean coach, Sergio Batista, was firm with Messi’s situation and marked a previous period and the future one. “He is very important for the group, inside and outside the game field and the group listens to him a lot”. This sentence is completely new and marks the enormous difference with the Messi who played in the World Championship in South Africa darkened due to the mediatic and expansive figure of the former coach, Diego Maradona, with whom he competes in front of the Argentineans to be before them the best player in the history.
Batista, in change, also champions in México 1986 as central midfielder, understands that his job is not that to be over the players but slightly behind them, almost imperceptible, without needing polemic and understands that this is the moment for Messi, the time of his definitive maturing and exploitation as World supercrack, with all the world marketing that this generates around the Argentinean team and with all that this may give in this moment to AFA.
That is why Batista also understood that the Argentinean team should be structured around its best player and dispose a tactic that he defines as “4-3-3”, though what was seen in front of Brazil, at least, it is more “4-2-3-1”,because the coach says that the line of three attackers is composed by Messi, Higuaín and Di María, but Messi as well as the left extreme of the Real Madrid start more behind, almost as from three quarters and do not stand so much forward.
The truth is that Batista looks for an Argentinean team to touch the ball more, to manage it long time and to be composed by players technically talented, but it seems he did not obtain it vs Brazil because one of the new stars, the midfielder of the Palermo Javier Pastore, could not have continuity in the game and there was not much connection with the offensive, though in good part of it, the merit was of Brazil and their own game.
Batista should read well what happened because after the match and still losing on the last minute, the Brazilian coach Mano Menezes ascertained his diagnosis: “it does not seem, to me, a bad result even as we almost tied because Argentina almost did not reach us and we play with a team composed by majority of players that weren’t in the last World Championship”.
For Brazil it was a good test. Menezes continues with the idea to test the players, among them, giving the opportunity to Ronaldinho, who at his 30 years was the most veteran of the group ( there were seen some interesting things but it is evident he does not pass through his best moment), not being able to count in the attack with injuried Pato (Milan) and Ganso (Santos) and with great panorama for the future.
The big problem of Brazil in this cycle until their won World Championship 2014 is the terrific popular pressure and particularly the mediatic they are undergoing due to the obligation to win the sixth World Cup after having lost the former opportunity in 1950.
The Brazilian press cites as a big pressure that Brazil has not the obligation to play for the classification for the World Championship (as they have assured the place for being locals), so they will not be obliged to play the nine matches at home vs South American teams and will replace the eighteen FIFA dates with friendly matches, but all will be abroad, so their own public will have almost no opportunity to see in action their players when more than ever a proximity with the “torcida”.
That was the reason due to which the president of the Brazilian Confederation (CBF), Ricardo Texeira, son-in-law of the ex president of the FIFA Joao Havelange, asked Menezes in a meeting the day before the friendly match vs the United States during this year, to try to see the way to approximate the team to people, but ends 2010 and of the twelve matches played, the Brazilian team did all abroad and already the next friendly, in February will be in Paris vs France.
If Brazil maintains their players far from the people, all the contrary that happens with Messi who even granted in his last days in Qatar an exclusive interview to the newspaper of the major sale in Argentina, Clarin, in which he says that when he leaves football his project is to return and live in his country.
Far from the suffering in the World Championship of South Africa, where he wept a lot in the intimacy of the lockers room, the day of the elimination vs Germany, Messi smiles and wins his place in the Argentinean team.