Lionel Messi Says Copa America 'Not Been My Best' After Argentina Beat Venezuela

Lionel Messi doesn't think he's performed to his best at the 2019 Copa America despite Argentina progressing to the semi-finals.

The Albiceleste set up a mouthwatering showdown with Brazil in the last four after they beat Venezuela 2-0 on Friday. Goals from Lautaro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso were enough to inspire Argentina to victory.

Messi's only goal of the competition so far came in the 1-1 draw with Paraguay in the group stages when he netted from the penalty spot.

Speaking after Argentina's latest win, the Barcelona man said his all-round performances have not been up to his usual high standards, per Dejan Kalinic of Goal:

"The truth is that it's not been my best Copa America, not what I expected. There are matches that occur in this way. You cannot play a lot, it's complicated for those of us who want to do something different, to avoid rivals. The important thing is that we won and we continue."

Here are the highlights from Argentina's win on Friday:

In recent years, Argentina have been dependent on Messi, as the team has been fractured and dysfunctional around the iconic forward. At this competition, some other members of the team have finally stepped up.

Football journalist Andy West noted that this pattern is a big deviation from the norm for the South American giants:

Martinez has looked a natural on the international stage, with the Inter Milan man's opening goal in the win over Venezuela showing he has a knack for the spectacular.

Per Argentina football journalist Peter Coates, the youngster has outshone some big names for his country:

After picking up just one point from their first two games in the competition, there were some early fears that Argentina wouldn't make it beyond the group stages of the 2019 Copa.

They were able to dig in against Qatar in their final group match and pick up a 2-0 win to finish behind Colombia in Group B. While they were far from perfect against Venezuela, it was another step forward in terms of performance for Lionel Scaloni's side.

However, to get pasts hosts and favourites Brazil, they will need to go up another gear, and Argentina fans will hope Messi can provide that next level.

Rafael Hernandez of Barcelona fansite Grup14 thinks this has been the Blaugrana star's most disappointing international tournament:

Messi will be determined to excel against Brazil, though. Three times Argentina have made it to major finals during his time in the team and on each occasion they've come up short. For all he's achieved with Barcelona, accomplishing something with his country would mean so much for the 32-year-old.

The Selecao will be expected to advance despite their inconsistent form at the competition so far. However, if an improved Argentina side can be boosted by a galvanised Messi, Brazil need to be wary.