'Lionel Messi avoids the ball early to spy on opponents weaknesses' - Valverde
Lionel Messi is not bothered about getting the possession in the early minutes of a football match, Barcelona boss Ernetso Valverde revealed.
The Spanish gaffer claims the Argentine uses those few minutes without the ball to study the opponents weaknesses.
In an interview with Financial Times, Valverde opens up on how the six-time Ballon d'Or winner operates like an undercover agent.
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Valverde says the club captain makes an observation around the opposition defence and notes exactly each player's position.
"Then, as the game advances, he gets in little by little.
"But he knows perfectly where the rivals' weaknesses are," Valverde said.
The famous El Clasico in December 2017, statistics showed that Messi walked for 83 per cent of the game and ran for only 4.95 per cent of the time.
At the end of the end, he had managed to create nine chances, provided an assist and scored a goal against Real Madrid.
Messi finished 2019 with his sixth Ballon d'Or and also as La Liga's topscorer with 13 goals. Barcelona top the table ahead of their rivals with two points.
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng had earlier reported that a supercomputer has finally put to rest who is regarded as the greatest player of all time between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
There has been an unending debate about who is the better player between the Portuguese and the Argentine.
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Source: Legit.ng
