Originally Posted by
JoesphNdo
Yeah there's a sort of narrative built up recently that Messi has adjusted his game and now spends 90% of the game at walking pace and it's a sign of age
While I'm sure he presses less than he used too, Messi has always been like this to a large extent. I remember going to see him in 2011, as the best player in the world on the best team ever assembled, and a non football hardcore friend of mine who went commenting on how shocked they were that he was just standing around for most of the game. And it was true. Pep, who managed him a decade ago, said "He's walking... That's what I like the most. He is not out of the game, he's involved. He's moving his head: right, left, left, right. He knows exactly what is going to happen. But his head is always like this [Guardiola turns his head left and right]. He's always moving. "He's not running, but he's always watching what's happening. He smells where are the weak points in the back four. After five, ten minutes, he has the map in his eyes, in his brain to know exactly where is the space and what is the panorama. It's like being in the jungle and I have to survive. And he knows if I move here, here, I will have more space to attack."
He's someone who is ruthless with knowing when to move and when you'd just be moving for the sake of not being accused of being lazy. He pressed like a terrier dog when the time was right, but knew when it wasn't. It's a fascinating part of his game that should be studied, but it's not particularly new - maybe slightly more extreme than before