After a spectacular performance against Bayern, Guardiola reported that nothing could stop the Argentine.
However, his performance in the last few Clasicos proved that Real Madrid discovered a way to stop Messi.
Lionel Messi produced a sparkling display against his former team, but here we provide you with points to stop Messi which was used by Real Madrid.
A ONE MAN DEFENSE
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| RAPHAEL VARANE SINGLE HANDED MESSI IN HIS FIRST GAME |
It may appear to be strange, but if we analyse, it is the first thing Madrid do against Messi.
This system was first started by Jose Mourinho when he was in charge at his last season at Madrid. He opted to start with Varane who stopped Lionel Messi all the night.
This system was used throughout the season and Messi and Barca were kept at bay. They were unable to defeat Real Madrid that whole season.
Since that year, no team used this system but Real Madrid discovered another technique to stop Messi.
After Ancelotti's arrival, he lost his first two Clasicos. This is because at first, he started Ramos in attacking midfield so that to defend at the midfield area.
But that system didn't work well. At the second Clasico, Real Madrid played super naturally, with no marks on Messi or Neymar. This helped them to play their natural game and Messi stuck a hat-trick to give Barca the win.
But since that day, Ancelotti stopped Messi at the most possible way. He found a new way called pressurize midfield with Kroos, James and Modric renouncing themselves as defenders.
This is an effective system used by Ancelotti and some other unnoticed teams to stop Messi.
This system was first started by Jose Mourinho when he was in charge at his last season at Madrid. He opted to start with Varane who stopped Lionel Messi all the night.
This system was used throughout the season and Messi and Barca were kept at bay. They were unable to defeat Real Madrid that whole season.
Since that year, no team used this system but Real Madrid discovered another technique to stop Messi.
PRESSURIZE MIFDFIELD
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| NOT IN THIS PIC: LUKA MODRIC, KROOS AND JAMES PRESSURIZED MESSI THIS SEASON |
After Ancelotti's arrival, he lost his first two Clasicos. This is because at first, he started Ramos in attacking midfield so that to defend at the midfield area.
But that system didn't work well. At the second Clasico, Real Madrid played super naturally, with no marks on Messi or Neymar. This helped them to play their natural game and Messi stuck a hat-trick to give Barca the win.
But since that day, Ancelotti stopped Messi at the most possible way. He found a new way called pressurize midfield with Kroos, James and Modric renouncing themselves as defenders.
This is an effective system used by Ancelotti and some other unnoticed teams to stop Messi.
MARK SUAREZ AND NEYMAR
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| MESSI, NEYMAR, SUAREZ BLOCK IDEAL |
This may seem to be strange, but a strong analyser may say it's a good idea. This wasn't a system introduced by Madrid, but by Malaga and Celta de Vigo.
The system have a lot of influence in stopping the attacking trio. Barca lost to Malaga and Celta and MSN was provided with a stiff resistance.
The reason is that, there is a common and dangerous long-ball that Messi puts from the right wing to the left wing where Neymar or Suarez colllects the ball and score.
By blocking Neymar and Suarez, Messi could be subdued to a small limit.
LEAVE A LOT OF SPACE FOR MESSI
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| MESSI VS REAL MADRID |
It may seem to be a foolish idea, but the trick works. This is a way to avoid Messi from dribbling.
This fact coincides with the first point: a one-man defense. Real Madrid were the first to start this technique under Mourinho.
It worked tremendously during 2012-2013 season and with the one-man defense, Messi were restrained to a point.
The reason for this idea is that Messi remains the greatest dribbler in the world. If you go with four or five, he will dribble one-by-one.
But when it comes to one-last-man, especially someone like Ramos or Varane, it will be harder because they must be dribbled twice or thrice. The great example for this is Varane's first El Clasico.
REAL MADRID ITSELF AS A WHOLE
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| REAL MADRID:ATTACK, DEFEND, COUNTER |
The way Real Madrid play in a Clasico, if they win or lose, is the best and the most appropriate example for #HowToStopMessi.
Since October 2012, Messi produced a wonderful performance just once in eight El Clasicos.
Real Madrid used various types to subdue him and it worked well most of the times. They also used their trademark counter attack to score against the Catalans. Especially in the last three Clasicos, Messi earned very little pride for himself compared to other games.