Guardiola tactics ruining footage, Messi speaks

Lionel Messi has addressed the widespread influence of Pep Guardiola’s footballing philosophy in a candid interview while with Argentina for their Copa America title defense. Following a 2-0 victory over Canada, Messi spoke about the complexities Guardiola’s style has introduced to the sport.

Messi and Guardiola shared a highly successful period at Barcelona, winning multiple La Liga titles and Champions League trophies. Guardiola’s approach, characterized by quick passing and positional play, has been adopted by many coaches, including Mikel Arteta at Arsenal and former Guardiola associates Enzo Maresca and Vincent Kompany, now at Chelsea and Bayern Munich respectively.

In the interview, Messi highlighted the ‘confusion’ generated by the widespread adoption of Guardiola’s methods.

“The Guardiola era has caused a bit of confusion. Everyone wants to play like that now,” he said. “They tell six/seven-year-olds to play with two touches, quickly. At that age, what happened with me needs to happen for these kids… we shouldn’t take away their spontaneity.”

Despite this, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner expressed gratitude for the tactical knowledge he gained from Guardiola. “I didn’t pay much attention to tactics and with Guardiola I think I learned a lot,” Messi noted. “It was Guardiola who taught me a lot about tactics, spaces, ball possession.”