Lionel Messi Is Not Good Enough For Stoke City & Barcelona Would Struggle In EPL

[Guest Klitschko]

Farily certain Grays question on whether Messi could do it in a cold rainy night in a hostile stadium against a brute force team didn't have anything to do with the quality of said teams centrebacks.

It'd be no different to asking if a player who relied immensely on his physical attributes, be it power or speed or just general athleticism, would do aswell in a league that was more orientated around technical ability.

[Reuben]

if a small player like Zola could play in the prem don't see why Messi wouldn't flourish.

[Guest Portuguese]

if a small player like Zola could play in the prem don't see why Messi wouldn't flourish.

Zola and Juninho made it. None of the two were the top players in their country let alone the world.(The current world's best player has question marks)

Football is a mental thing.

Like I have said many times the best players in the world at the current time when they are at the peak of their powers never come to England.

1985-1998 Italian league is where the best went and were plying their trade

2000- Spanish league is where the best go and are now.

[anelka]

Lol at this

Rooney, Gray & Keys all said Messi would get his 30 goals a season but questioned if he would get 50

Messi would not be able to take the piss here like he does in Spain, the weather, demands, speed of the game, physical nature, competitive nature and ball being in the air are factors to this

Ronaldo like Wazza said is more suited to the English game, hes big, strong, quick, good in the air and sick at set pieces

Messi aint half the threat he is without Xavi & Iniesta, his performances for Argentina confirm this, yes he is an amazing player but the English game is diff gravy compared to playing Levante ona balmy sunday evening

[MrJibbles]

Players like this come along once every so often, f*ck all this struggling to play here what not, he is a genius and something we should be applauding cause I doubt in our life time we will ever see a player like this again.

Plus I hate all this weather sh*t, going on like Spain doesn't have cold periods and Messi has never played in eastern Europe during the winter.

[Guest M12 Part 2]

It is true though the pace and physicality is something different here. Not to mention in Spain you get a lot more protection from refs and there aren't as many teams who set out with 10 men behind the ball. I'd much rather go 1-0 down to Almeria from a set piece than wolves or Blackburn who have a realistic chance of closing out the game.

[mp*]

Messi good but can he do this?

[TF S4DK]

[Im Broke]

Messi will thrive in any league in the world, a more interesting debate is whether Messi would have survived in the Serie A of the 80's

[Guest Portuguese]

We would never know.

But imagine this

Messi leaving Barca for QPR and winning two premier league titles,Fa Cup,Europa League.

That's the equivalent of what Maradona did in the 80's with Napoli

[Michel Kane]

This is getting f*ck*ng boring.

Stop comparing players from two very different generations.

[JOHN DOE]

that will always happen in anything not just footy

but c/s boring

[Guest Klitschko]

Messi has performed much better for Argentina now that a suitable formation and line-up has been put in effect, most notably the introduction of Ever Banega & Esteban Cambiasso, these of course, are only qualifiers and friendlies, but there has been a marked difference in his performances since Mardonna left, and thus the system of playing 4 centre-backs along the backline, with Mascherno as the only holding midfieldier with everyone else given liscence to get forward, was abandoned.

Argentinas 4-1 demolition of an albeit Xavi, and Iniesta-less Spain can attest to this.

However, it seems simply common sense to recognise the fact he would not rack up the sort of goal tally in England that he does in Spain. For several reasons.

YES the physical nature and speed of the game do play a part, over one game you may not notice, but over 10, or 15, and the course of a season it would start to tell.

Secondly. And most importantly, he would not be playing with the best players in the world. So of course, he would not fare aswell in terms of assists, or chances he was able to make due to his opponents movement, or passing.

Thirdly. Using games against Manchester United & Arsenal to tear down the fact that Messi may find it more difficult in the EPL(the key word is more difficult, not that he would fail, because he certainly would not) is a moot point, as neither teams style is representative of the 'English' way of playing.

Arsenal themselves, play passing football, in what can be called a similar style to Barcelona, and are probably the least physical and aggressive team in the League - it's also worth noting they had the most success against Barcelona as a team when they played with a high tempo (one of the notable things about the Premier League), at the Emirates, though that may be another matter alltogether.

And Manchester United, have been attempting to perfect a European style of football ever since they were schooled by Juventus a decade and a half ago.

So, would Messi score as many goals in the Premier League as he goes in Spain? It's unlikely.

This is by no means a negative thing. Just an observation.

[Michel Kane]

Pos'd.

[Im Broke]

We would never know.

But imagine this

Messi leaving Barca for QPR and winning two premier league titles,Fa Cup,Europa League.

That's the equivalent of what Maradona did in the 80's with Napoli

Lol no its not, but i get your point.

[Im Broke]

Why do people still doubt Messi surviving in the premier league, be serious Messi has ripped up United the team with the best defence in England, what makes you think a bunch of pub players from Stoke would nullify him, all that will happen is that half of them will end up getting sent off at half time, acting like this is the premiership of the 60's and 70's/

[Guest Klitschko]

I'm not saying he couldn't get 31 goals. He wouldn't be as consistently free scoring in England as he is in Spain [With Barcelona].

[Guest Portuguese]

C/S about Messi running the likes of Shawcross rugged every game.

About Maradona it is the same because Napoli were awful before Maradona arrived they were nearly relegated in 83-84 season.

I chose QPR because they are based in the south and also haven't been in the top flight for years up until season just finished.

Remember Maradona was with a medicore team and he won the title twice in a league with Juve/Sacchi's Milan

[Guest Portuguese]

Henry used to score 25+ and Ronaldo reached them kind of figures in his last two seasons

Bent scored 24/17 and people say Messi won't be able to score 25+-30+

[Im Broke]

C/S about Messi running the likes of Shawcross rugged every game.

About Maradona it is the same because Napoli were awful before Maradona arrived they were nearly relegated in 83-84 season.

I chose QPR because they are based in the south and also haven't been in the top flight for years up until season just finished.

Remember Maradona was with a medicore team and he won the title twice in a league with Juve/Sacchi's Milan

Yeah i hear you, for me thats one of the reasons why Maradona.>>>>>>Messi, he also took a mediocre 1990 Argentine side to the finals of the world cup.

[Student of Accounting]

30 goals in the EPL is like 45 in Spain/France/Italy/Portugal

[Captain Planet]

Watching the replay of the game on ESPN