Lionel Messi Stifled by Mental and Physical Fatigue

Eleven months ago, FC Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola found himself in a precarious situation in the former Soviet Union against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Trailing the Ukrainian side by one goal after 45 minutes, Guardiola turned to Lionel Messi as a substitute.

The diminutive Argentine gave Guardiola exactly what he needed: two late goals to keep the Catalan outfit’s perfect Champions League record intact.

This season, Barca was in a similar predicament in current-day Russia, needing a late goal to break a scoreless deadlock against Rubin Kazan. This time around, Guardiola did not have Messi on the bench, but rather on the field—cold, tired, and void of ideas.

For most of the day Messi was shackled by compatriot Cristian Ansaldi and the rest of the Rubin back line, and when he did find space, his touch was off, as he lost the ball far more than he created chances.

Perhaps the biggest difference between the two games was Messi’s position on the bench last season and his spot on the field against Rubin.

Messi was a substitute last season not because of poor play, but as part of a rotational policy Guardiola had for his superstar.

During Messi’s first few seasons with Barca’s senior side, La Pulga (as he is known in Argentina) was plagued by injuries, missing significant time each year.

As his game total progressed gradually from 25 during the 2005-2006 season to 36 the following year, and then 40 in 2007-2008, so did his production, but that did not stop Guardiola from treating his most prized and talented player with care.

Messi played in 51 matches during Barca’s fantastic 2008-2009 campaign, but he was rested in certain encounters from the start, making 10 appearances as a substitute.

In addition to his Triplete -winning efforts for Barcelona, Messi began the season by helping his country win the 2008 Olympic Gold Medal in Beijing.

His Olympic heroics, combined with his trips across the Atlantic to help Argentina qualify for the World Cup, made the season practically eternal.

Messi showed no signs of fatigue and is now the favorite to win the FIFA World Player of the Year Award.

This season things are different, and the wear and tear seems to be catching up with Lionel, both mentally and physically. Barcelona was handed a longer fixture list to accommodate the competitions they qualified for last season.

First, Messi scored two goals in the two-legged Spanish Super Cup before providing the winning assist deep into extra time against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Super Cup.

In December, Messi and his mates face the FIFA Club World Cup and a possible date with Leo’s international colleague, Juan Sebastian Veron and Estudiantes de La Plata in the final.

The accumulation of matches hasn’t even reached its peak yet, and Messi has not looked like the best player in the world on a consistent basis.

The match against Rubin was a prime example of such a sentiment. So many times in the past, Messi has been there to save Barca, but yesterday he looked off.

It is not to suggest that Guardiola relegate him to the bench all the time, but he should perhaps take a more conservative approach with the Newell’s Old Boys youth product, especially considering the fixture backlog Barca will face due to the Club World Cup.

Messi's early-season exploits have included two trips to South America in the qualification process for the FIFA World Cup with Argentina.

Leo has been labeled as a possible savior for his country since winning the Golden Ball and Boot at the 2005 Youth World Cup in the Netherlands.

Lately, Messi has been unable to produce much at all for Argentina, bringing on a barrage of criticism from the Argentine media and fans alike for the first time.

Since inheriting the famous No. 10 shirt, Messi has scored just one goal in eight games.

The difficulty of being lavished with praise constantly to being one of the main scapegoats in his country’s poor campaign cannot be understated.

Some in the Argentina press have gone as far to question Messi’s commitment of playing for his country.

Messi persevered, and Argentina qualified. Despite the physical and emotional toll Argentina’s matches against Peru and Uruguay took on Leo, Guardiola had him right back in the starting lineup against Valencia.

Messi looked completely off the pace, and although he did force one good save from Cesar in the Valencia goal, he made very little impact.

Last October, Messi was an unused substitute against Athletic Bilbao after playing two demanding qualifiers for Argentina. 

Even in Barcelona's 6-1 victory over Real Zaragoza, Leo missed a few easy chances. He eventually got his goal with a brilliant lob, but the showing was not vintage Messi. 

As Barcelona returns to the Camp Nou to face Mallorca Saturday, Messi will almost certainly be in the starting lineup once again.

Then, Leo will join up with the Argentine squad, but thankfully for him, he will only travel to Madrid to face Spain on Nov. 14.

With a full week in between games, and then another eight days after that, we will hopefully see a rejuvenated Messi when Barca face Athletic Bilbao in the Basque Country on Nov. 22.

Unfortunately for Messi, with an uphill climb to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League and the Club World Cup still to come, the next few weeks may be the only time off he has for the rest of the calendar year.