The unforgettable partnership on the left wing that
Lionel Messi
and
Jordi Alba
forged years ago in Barcelona has now been transferred to the United States.
The Argentine and Spaniard joined forces to combine their movements, and after a double wall, La Pulga made it 1-1 for
Inter Miami
against
the Los Angeles Galaxy
at the end of the match, in their second match in the MLS (Major League Soccer) of USA.
But it seems that the appearance of the former culés to rescue their team from what could have been the first defeat of the season was not enough to avoid criticism.
The sports columnist for the
Los Angeles Times
newspaper , Dylan Hernández, made a cruel analysis of the match that took place last Sunday, where he was dispatched against the main figures of the Florida squad: "At some point, Inter Miami will have to deal with the reality that was discovered on Sunday night.
Messi is old. Luis Suárez is old
. Sergio Busquets is old. The only member of the Barcelona Quartet who did not seem to be playing with an empty gas tank was Alba, the left back of 34 years old who ran from one side of the band to the other as if he were 10 years younger than him."
The string of matches that the Herons will have to face between MLS and international competitions in a very short time is an issue that the journalist pointed out: “By playing in a league with an exhausting schedule and a demanding travel itinerary,
Inter Miami seems destined to disaster
”.
Messi scored a great goal, but did not escape criticism. Photo: AFP
But Dylan Hernández laid his eyes on the best player of all time and was very critical of his football level: “
He can still hit a ball with surprising precision
, but he doesn't recover as quickly as before.
He's lost half a step, which explains how Galaxy defensive midfielder Edwin Cerrillo was able to keep him under control for most of the match.
And when the Galaxy's Brazilian import, Gabriel Pec, valued at $10 million, entered the game in the 70th minute (he came on for Diego Fagúndez), Messi was no longer the most interesting player on the field.”
TO
Furthermore, he added: “Messi was not the same player who visited Los Angeles FC's BMO Stadium in September.
He wasn't even the same player he was four days earlier, when Inter Miami defeated Real Salt Lake in the first game of the season.”
The columnist also emphasized how the most valuable club in MLS was overtaken by a completely revamped team: “Major League Soccer's most expensive team was overtaken by the revamped Galaxy for most of the night, and there's no reason to believe that Inter Miami will not have more games like this.
How many more times can they count on Messi to invoke magic at the end of the game to save them?”
Dylan Hernandez was not satisfied with his analysis, and continued harshly criticizing the players made in Barcelona: "Messi and forward Suárez, 37, were basically spectators when the Galaxy had the ball, which forced Inter Miami to defend with eight field players. One of them was Busquets, 35 years old, who looked like a statue in the middle of the field."
“The sequence was proof of Messi's continued ability to produce spectacular moments.
Whether Messi can put together a championship season, even in MLS, is an entirely different matter.
Two games into Inter Miami's season, the signs are ominous,” he concluded.