Originally compiled from: The Athletic
Written by Michael Cox
Should Barcelona sign messi? Maybe
According to Barça team reporter Romero, Messi arrived in Barcelona with his family and assistants, and with 15 suitcases, there is likely to be heavy news in the next few days. What "heavy"? Return to Barça, of course. The story of the king of the ball coming home is certainly beautiful, but there are several problems that need to be solved.
Messi is still strong
When it comes to the possibility of a player returning to their old club, it's easy to say "never go back", but it's not always that simple. If Ian Rush had listened to this, he would not have become Liverpool's all-time top scorer. If Mark Hughes had listened, he would not have won multiple titles for United, including the European Cup Winners' Cup final. If Ibrahimovic had listened, AC Milan would not have become Serie A champions.
Not to mention, Messi's return to Barca is too special. On the one hand, Messi did not want to part ways with Barca two years ago, but the club was in financial trouble and could not register him. In that sense, Barça are now just correcting a mistake.
On the other hand, he is Messi! Although he will soon be 36 years old, he lifted the World Cup as captain, was named the best player of the World Cup, won the FIFA Footballer of the Year, was crowned the king, and is still in excellent form this season.
What's more, Messi is still the best person in the world to be "Messi". By that we mean: catch the ball on the right, cut inside, deliver lethal passes, break through, shoot and score – there's no player who does that better than he does.
Even though he is now older and it is difficult to contribute much without the ball, as Scaloni and Argentina did at the World Cup, he can still make up for his weaknesses with a group of well-organized and tenacious players.
Question 1: Where should Messi play?
However, if Barca want to re-sign Messi, they will first face a thorny problem: manager Xavi wants to put five attacking players in the central midfield, and in these five positions, Messi can only play as a central or left inside.
The right inside is certainly the most suitable position for Messi, and in Barca's classic 433 formation, he can cut inside from the right, just as he did when he first played for the team. Alternatively, he could retreat as a midfielder in formations 3421 and 3241 and play on the right inside.
However, to play this role, Messi must have some specific types of players around him. Barca definitely need someone to keep the width on the right and defend without the ball. It's a big challenge for a winger like Rafinha because he's too attacking and a left-footed player.
Barca do not have assist-type right-backs like Ashraf in Paris or Molina in Argentina, and Xavi's favoured Conde and Araujo are defensive and are central defenders.
In fact, Barca's ideal right winger should be a "right-footed version of Balde". Balder has a dragon on the left, left-back, left midfielder, and left winger can play, which allows Barca's left winger to adduct and move to the center to become a left insider.
In addition, Messi's performance in the right inside forward position is also related to the performance of the players behind him in the box.
Behind the king, Grand Paris has often used Portugal international Vitinha this season to maintain "balance": when Messi's position is high, he fights hard from behind; When Messi retreats to receive the ball, he pushes it up and takes up space up front – and at Barca, Kessie may have a chance to play that role.
Daily Sport also has a suggestion to put Messi behind Lewandowski and Osman Dembele as a diamond-shaped midfielder. The specific plan is: Balder advances from the left wing, Lewandowski moves to the left, gives way to Messi in the middle, the midfielder inserts and becomes the right center, and Dembellera pulls to the right.
Question 2: What should I do with the new dual-core?
Another issue is the impact on Pedri and Garvey. They are both Barça's present and Barça's future. If Messi returns, the two can indeed learn a lot from playing alongside Goat, but it is also inevitable that their status and role in the team will indeed decline.
However, from another perspective, Pedri and Garvey are well-rounded and very tenacious, helping to compensate for Messi's defensive deficiencies. And with Messi's status at Barca, I believe that young people are willing to pay for him.
Question 3: Money money
Another very important issue is money. Barca cannot offer Messi the richest salary, simply cannot compete with Saudi Arabia's annual salary of 400 million euros, and perhaps can only summon him through emotions.
Moreover, Barca need to re-register Garvey this summer and renew his long-term contract with Balde, all of which need to meet the salary cap requirements and be approved by La Liga. Despite Messi's strong superstar power, the personal interests of these players, and the interests of the club as a whole, should be prioritized.
Barca do want Messi back because it benefits the club, and don't forget that the team will leave Camp Nou for a while next season and need the appeal of the king. But will competitive factors such as lineup, structure, and playing style have problems because of this?
Messi also wants to "go home" in his heart, but is he willing to accept a big salary cut and bear financial losses? Are you willing to return briefly and then leave again in the future?
In conclusion, should Messi return to Barca? This question cannot be answered simply by saying "Barca must do everything to sign Messi" or "Barca should avoid Messi".