Why does Messi walk during the game? Pep Guardiola explains the Argentine’s on-pitch behaviour

Together with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi is one of the two best players in football history. Although modern football requires footballers in constant motion, this is not quite the case with Messi. One of the best coaches in the world, Pep Guardiola, explains the reasons why.

Modern football is always moving forward. Fitness data, mileage or sprint mileage are now a part of the football environment. It’s not uncommon for footballers to get over 13 kilometres per game.

Lionel Messi, however, is nowhere near such numbers. Nor does he have to. For him, the key is what he comes up with on the ball, not how many defenders he repels. Messi’s critics often highlight the fact that the Argentine often just creeps around the pitch and literally walks.

That may be true, but it’s certainly not that Messi isn’t interested in the game. Pep Guardiola knows Messi perhaps best of anyone in the world. The Argentine magician has had the best part of his career under his tutelage, and the Spanish strategist has managed to get the most out of him.

And in the Amazon documentary “This is football”, he explains what it’s like to see Messi on the pitch.

“He watches the game. He walks. He just marches around the pitch. That’s what I like most about him. He’s not off his game, he’s anticipating. He moves his head, right, left, right, left. He knows exactly what’s gonna happen. But his head keeps turning. He’s not running, but he’s always watching what’s going on.

He can feel the weaknesses of the defensive four. After five, ten minutes, he has a map in his eyes and in his brain. To know exactly where the space is and what the skyline is. It’s like being in the jungle and having to survive. He knows that if he moves here or here he will have more space to attack,” Guardiola describes Messi’s behaviour.

Another great coach, Jürgen Klopp, has come up with a similar opinion about his walking on the pitch. He would make one exception when defending for two players in the world, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

“In finishing, strikers have to be a bit selfish. But not when defending. No one must think they are more important than the team. If you’re not Cristiano or Messi, you have to defend. That’s the way it is. Are you Cristiano? Messi? No? Then defend!” Klopp told beIN SPORTS in 2020.

Source: This is Football, Amazon, Marca, beIN SPORTS