Lionel Messi's absence will further Barcelona's evolution

Lionel Messi

In all the hullabaloo (yes, that is a word) that has accompanied Cristiano Ronaldo’s superlative display against Sweden, one man has settled into the shadows with good grace. That the man in question is one Lionel Messi is most surprising.

The Argentine is not one to accept second place quite so meekly. But life as he knew it has seen a few glaring changes in the script over the past year, jarring notes in a familiar song that had maybe been playing for a little too long.

But that defeat to Bayern, just like Messi’s latest injury, may just turn out to spur this Barcelona side onward in their quest for footballing superiority.

Blinded as we have been in Messi’s excellence, it has been difficult to see the glittering array of talent that lines up alongside the Argentine week in, week out. But that has been the issue at the forefront of manager’s Martino’s plans for his side even before this latest setback to their star man.

And if recent evidence is anything to go by, they may not miss him all that much.

Neymar’s seamless transition

In Neymar they have a supremely talented footballer whose biggest contribution to the team has been the surprising level of maturity he has shown since his much-hyped arrival earlier in the summer.

The Brazilian is capable of tearing into most defenses purely on the strength of his own brilliance, but has chosen to align himself perfectly with the system in place at Barcelona. Pass and move, pass and move.

So much so that he has even been criticized in some quarters for his deference to “King Leo”.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, eh?

Mind you, this is the same group of people who were jumping on the bandwagon in their opinion that the Messi-Neymar partnership would never bear fruit, that the two alphas would end up the way Messi and Ibrahimovic did.

And while the prospect of upsetting Neymar is far less intimidating than upsetting the kung-fu kicking Swede, all those fears were proved to be baseless. And then, new ones emerged, only for Neymar to silence them once again in his El Clasico debut.

Given more freedom and responsibility with Messi being switched to the right wing, the Brazilian scored the first and set up the second in what would prove to be a surprisingly comfortable win.

Credit must be given where it is due, and the simplicity with which Martino’s switch in focus unsettled all of counterpart Ancelotti’s plans shows a clarity of vision and a belief in the other players that was refreshing, to say the least.

Alexis Sanchez and the philosophies that bind everything together

This belief has seen the rise of Alexis Sanchez, the scorer of a sublime second on that night in the Camp Nou. Although quite when the Chilean actually fell is something no one really knows. He has a creditable 33 goals in the two-and-a-little-more-seasons he has spent here; many of them pretty crucial goals in their own right.

But if Neymar offers Barcelona a protagonist in place of Messi, what Sanchez does is bring into effect the subtle changes that Martino is crafting into this side, little by little.

Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino

Martino is an advocate of Bielsaissance at heart. A footballing term coined to define the impact legendary maverick manager Marco Bielsa, Martino had good reason to put faith in the old master’s game-plan.

He was Bielsa’s number 8 in his playing days at Newell’s Old Boys, and has advocated his mentor’s beliefs in his time as manager there. But incorporating elements of the same into Barcelona’s own game could prove to be trickier than expected.

Thankfully for him, another one of Bielsa’s admirers, Pep Guardiola, has already sown the seeds for what Martino hopes to accomplish.

An eleven hour discussion that Guardiola had with Bielsa, prior to the man accepting his role at Barcelona B, was decisive in Guardiola adopting some typically Bielsistic tendencies in the predominantly Cruyffistic philosophy that Barcelona swear by.

Prominent in this regard was the intense pressing that was a feature of Barcelona under Guardiola – one that allowed the team so much control over proceedings. However, the superhuman effort required to play this way would take its toll on Barcelona in due time – something that Guardiola admitted to in his last season in charge.

In essence, when Barcelona stormed forward, full backs and central midfielders in tow, the opposition were simply overwhelmed. A retreating Barcelona would similarly have numbers in defense, and an opposition that was already too terrified to attack would meekly surrender the ball quickly.

Those were the days when Messi was primarily considered an inverted winger, with Henry (and later Pedro) bombing forward on the opposite flank. A key component of Bielsista was the principle of verticality – strikingly at odds with what Cruyffism espouses.

And yet, in those early days, central defender Rafael Marquez’s frequent long balls were a deadly weapon. Teams started closing up shop in the face of such electric play, allowing Barcelona the lion share of possession.

Guardiola then had no choice but to revert back to Cruyffism, with Messi deployed as a false number nine to get things going.

His successor Tito Vilanova dropped the intense pressing, fearing the effect it would have in the long-term, knowing Barcelona’s lack of a suitable plan B.

Ultimately, Cruyffism or Bielsaissance?

Bayern certainly took full advantage of the lack of a plan B, and now Barcelona find themselves at a crossroads. Crufffism or Bielsaissance?

In Martino they have a man who understands the failings of Biesla’s system, having sworn by it in his time at Newell’s Old Boys.

He also comprehends the identity that holds Barcelona’s team together, and is able to see that here is a chance for him to integrate the philosophies of two visionaries on a stage that welcomes his subtle experimentation. Call it an evolution, even.

Obviously, the key to accomplishing anything lies with the players themselves. What Sanchez so refreshingly provides is a direct footballer who is also known for the defensive shift he puts in – an ideal exponent of Bielsista.

Pedro is another direct player who nevertheless has been schooled in Barcelona’s own philosophies. In an aging Xavi and a peaking Iniesta, they have a pair who will maintain Barcelona’s identity in Messi’s absence.

Even so, Fabregas may well turn out to be the most crucial player for the Catalans in Messi’s absence. It is a commonly held view that he looks far more comfortable without Messi in the team, and the play-maker may well be given his due in Messi’s absence.

Either way, we are in for a treat!

Just like the footballing gods saw fit to awaken a monster in Bayern Munich (with those two losses in consecutive Champions league finals) to challenge an all-conquering Barcelona, they have now given Barcelona the chance to reclaim their crown.

That humiliating loss started the process of change, and now Messi’s injury gives them a chance to perfect a process that will only be enhanced by his return to the team in two months.

Through all this, one cannot help but see the visionaries that have these players singing their tunes on the field; in truth these puppet masters rule this game of ours.

Martino will continue the glorious tradition of evolution that has Darwin smiling from some unknown heaven – not just at Martino, but also his challenger, a familiar face in Guardiola. One who is playing his cards pretty close to his chest from within the imposing Bayern camp today.