Lionel Messi at Inter Miami – Tactical Analysis

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With the recent additions of FC Barcelona legends Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and of course, Lionel Messi, Inter Miami have suddenly built the most fun side in all of MLS. Inter Miami struggled to attain the success they wanted under Phil Neville, and getting the signature of former Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino might have been an equally valuable coup from the Florida-based club, ensuring they could have even more sway in the market. But since Messi’s enter the fold in Florida, Inter Miami have been immensely fun to watch in the MLS, and have gone on an unbeaten run. Here is the heat that Messi has brought to Miami since joining in June.

POSITIONING & ROLE

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We all know Lionel Messi to be a versatile playmaker capable of playing anywhere in the front-line. But he’s often at his best when on the right of the front-unit, such as his success at the 2022 World Cup on the right of a 4-4-2. Martino has replicated that success so far by playing Messi off the right alongside Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez, one of the most dangerous ‘danger men’ in the MLS.

Within that role, you won’t be surprised to hear that Messi is the man they look to get on the ball at every opportunity. That means that at times he’ll even drop all the way toward Sergio Busquets to pick up the ball, just as we might have seen all the way through their careers at Barcelona.

Busquets and Messi have a superb understanding, and also happen to be two of the classiest ball-players in the world. Then you have Jordi Alba flying up the left wing just like he did throughout his Barca and Spain days, where the two of them arguably have an even better understanding. Alba will constantly create chances for Messi, and he has a telepathic understanding with the Spanish full-back about how to time his runs to meet the situation.

With all the moving pieces and Messi’s inclinations to get on the ball at every opportunity, you could also make the claim that Messi is more of a ’10’ for Gerardo Martino’s team in possession, with the Argentinean operating in behind Martinez.

Within this role, Messi has very little defensive responsibility (as he should!). He’ll set up in the team’s 4-4-2 shape out of possession, but the onus becomes more on the players like Busquets and Dixon Arroyo to win the ball in midfield. When the team then when possession, you best believe that he’s the first player they look to in leading that attacking transition. Messi’s silky smooth control allows him to dominate counter attacks, constantly pushing opposition defenses back in their fear of making a mistake, until he often plays that killer pass for someone else.

Quite clearly, this has been a revolutionary signing for Miami (even a revolutionary set of signings). Phil Neville’s team were abysmal prior to Messi’s arrival, and no one in their right mind would have put their money on Miami.

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But with Messi on the right of their attack now, they’ve been unbeaten in each of his four matches so far, even beating Mexican side Cruz Azul. Scoring in each of his four games and now on seven goals, the Argentinean legend is now their fourth highest scorer of all time.

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It will be interesting to see just how far Messi can take Miami as the season progresses, with the club bottom of the MLS table. An MLS playoff push might be out of reach for now, but a genuine run at this new Leagues Cup could be a sign of just how much him and his Barca teammates are ready to bring to the heat for Inter Miami.

QUALITY IN THE FINAL THIRD

Even in four matches so far, we’ve been firmly reminded why Lionel Messi is still considered by many to be the best footballer on the planet. He is so far above the level of the MLS that it’s often taking four players to stop him, with teams developing wild defensive adjustments to mitigate his talent.

One of those top-tier qualities is his ability to evade pressure and smoothly beat opposition defenders on the dribble. He’s remarkably quick after disguising the ball one way or another, and incredibly difficult to stop once he beats his man, gets his body in the way of their path, and then continues to progress forward.

You don’t want to foul him, because you know he can score from the subsequent set-piece, something he’s done three times already for his new club.

But you also can’t just let him go, because the closer he gets to goal, the more likely he is to work his magic. So the only thing you can do, is get numbers around him as he gets closer to the ball, compact the field to mitigate his ability to play into other options, and hope that one of the four players surrounding him can win the ball.

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On its own, that is an incredibly risky strategy when Messi’s attacking through the centre of the pitch, because he’s an extraordinarily smart passer of the ball. The Argentinean sees spaces to play passes that others simply don’t see, and almost always plays with the perfect weight behind the move.

Complimenting this excellence is an innate understanding with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, allowing Tata’s team to constantly triangulate between the three players. Messi thrives off give-and-go’s and the ability to play a killer pass and then finish off the move that he started, and is so composed in front of goal.

He rarely scores shots with tremendous power or gusto. Instead, he finds the back of the net through his finesse and composure. That goes from outside of the eighteen like his phenomenal free kicks, all the way to inside the penalty area.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Messi’s impact can be felt all over the Miami team. The standards of training have improved, and the positive feelings around the club have completely taken off to new heights.

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So while a playoff push all the way up from the bottom of the MLS table might be out of reach, the weirdly named ‘Leagues Cup’ (did nobody want to sponsor this tournament?) could be well within their reach. In the meantime, Messi is making Miami the most exciting team in the MLS.

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