Liverpool lead Premier League by 13 points at halfway stage
Virgil van Dijk says Liverpool have been 'spurred' on by their near-miss in the Premier League last season and are hungry for more success.
Jurgen Klopp and his side lifted the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup, and the FIFA Club World Cup this year but were pipped to the Premier League title by domestic treble winners Manchester City in 2018/19.
The Reds finished the calendar year with a 1-0 win over Wolves which re-established their commanding 13-point lead at the top of the league.
Centre-back Van Dijk, who has played in every top-flight game for Liverpool this season, said: "We are halfway through now and we hope to finish the season on a high so for that, we have to focus on the game ahead of us.
"The whole experience from last year, doing well in the league, only losing one time, winning the Champions League, the whole experience has been helping us so far in our journey this season.
"We came very close, unfortunately City were just a little bit better but that spurred us on to try even harder this year and so we have been winning games, grinding games out and playing good football at times.
"We enjoy the hard work too so that is very good. Hopefully we can just keep going doing that and just be hungry for that as well.
"We should be learning from what happened last year and I feel that is definitely what has been going on."
The Premier League leaders were knocked out of the Carabao Cup earlier in December but host Everton in the FA Cup third round on January 5 and play Atletico Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 in February.
Sheffield United are Liverpool's next opponents at Anfield on Thursday in the Premier League, before Klopp's side travel to face Tottenham on January 11, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
Defensor do Peixe também falou sobre a oportunidade de trocar o futebol belga para atuar no time da Vila Belmiro
Contratado para a parte final do Brasileirão e com estreia apenas na metade de setembro, Luan Peres teve poucos jogos em 2019 para mostrar seu potencial no Santos. Foram nove para ser mais preciso. Mas o suficiente para o zagueiro, que atuou também na lateral-esquerda, cair nas graças do torcedor santista.
Até por isso Luan Peres confessa que está ansioso para 2020. E empolgado também. Para o defensor, conseguir ter ajudado o Santos na Série A foi ‘sensacional’.
“Acho que foi uma temporada boa. Comecei bem na Bélgica, queria jogar. Até que surgiu o Santos e claro que não pensamos duas vezes. Estou muito feliz em defender o Santos, poder jogar aqui, foi sensacional. Foram poucos jogos, mas o suficiente para entender o que é esse clube. Quero muito mais para o próximo ano e já estou trabalhando para isso”, afirmou.
Passando férias com a família, Luan Peres segue com os treinos diários. Tudo para 2020 ser ainda melhor.
“Acho que teremos de novo um grupo muito bom e uma comissão técnica muito boa. Isso é essencial no futebol. Acho que o Santos vai ser ainda mais forte na próxima temporada, tenho certeza que todos vão trabalhar muito para isso acontecer”, finalizou Luan Peres.
Leicester City matchday live | Brendan Rodgers' men got back to winning ways away to West Ham United this evening as Kelechi Iheanacho and Demarai Gray got the goals
A much-changed Leicester City secured one of the most satisfying wins of the season as they bounced back from consecutive defeats to beat West Ham.
Demarai Gray was the star man at the London Stadium, scoring the winner on just his second Premier League start of the campaign, while Kelechi Iheanacho again got on the scoresheet, his fifth goal in six appearances.
It was a match lacking in intensity. The changes - 16 across the two sides - made the teams disjointed, with both sides mixing tired players who featured 48 hours earlier and fresh faces lacking match practice.
Demarai Gray of Leicester City celebrates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Leicester City
Combined with the infamously-poor London Stadium atmosphere, it felt very much like a friendly.
But, it was a confident display by City’s significantly-rotated side, and they nearly took the lead inside 10 minutes.
Gray’s excellent ball in behind was latched onto by Iheanacho, who was clattered by Lukasz Fabianski, David Coote pointing to the spot.
Fabianski, back from injury, stayed on the pitch because of the double jeopardy rule, and got down to save Gray’s weak penalty, the winger failing from the spot despite scoring in the shoot-out at Everton.
After 30 minutes of tepid football from both sides, City found their goal. James Justin’s looped cross was cleverly headed back into the six-yard box by Ayoze Perez and Iheanacho showed his goalscoring instinct to head in.
Five minutes later, on the stroke of half-time, the Hammers were level. Christian Fuchs dived in and Felipe Anderson evaded the challenge before squaring for Pablo Fornals to sweep home.
City were not disheartened by the goal and came out for the second half firing, Perez grabbing his second assist as he slipped Gray in behind, the winger finish coolly.
City brought on James Maddison, Wilfred Ndidi and Harvey Barnes to see the game out, and they did so without too much trouble against a woefully-poor West Ham.
After arough night at the Molineux, Manchester City bounced back at home, coming out 2-0 winners against a high-flying Sheffield United side at the Etihad Stadium.
Here’s what we learned on Sunday evening in Manchester…
Aguero Opportunistic As Always
Although it wasn’t an all-time great performance from the Argentine, Sergio Aguero provided a touch of class when Manchester City needed it most, slotting home a match-deciding goal in the 52nd minute. The finish itself was classic Aguero, slotting home Kevin De bruyne’s through ball first-time at the near post. It was clear from watching he’s not back up to full match fitness just yet, but the effort was there from the opening whistle until his substitution in the 81st minute.
(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
VAR Stars Once Again
Officiating was a huge factor in the match at both ends of the pitch. First, Lys Mousset had an opening goal ruled out by VAR, after he was adjudged to have been millimetres offside.
City were then the beneficiaries of some officiating controversy when referee Chris Kavanagh appeared to obstruct a Sheffield United defender in the build-up to Sergio Aguero’s opener. Kavanagh allowed play to continue, as he did not actually touch the ball – a decision VAR upheld. While both were the correct decisions, seeing Manchester City benefit from VAR at the Etihad was surprising considering recent history.
(Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
Garcia Takes His Chance
18-year-old Eric Garcia was rewarded his first Premier League start by Pep Guardiola and did not disappoint. The teenager looked wise beyond his years, playing out from the back with confidence and demonstrating poise throughout the night. With a lack of fitness and quality at centre-back, for Manchester City, the sky is truly the limit for the former Barcelona academy star.
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
De Bruyne a Dual-Threat Once Again
It was business as usual for the Belgian as he set up Sergio’s strike, while adding one of his own in the 82nd minute, deservedly picking up the Man of the Match honours. Guardiola needs to find the right personel to allow De Bruyne to play further up the pitch if he wants to make the most of his offensive abilities. His assist tally is now up to 12 for the season (although Kevin seems to disagree), which has him just eight shy of the all-time assist record (20) set by Thierry Henry in 2003. With 18 games remaining, he has a real chance of breaking the record if he can avoid injury in 2020.
(Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
Claudio Bravo Keeps a Rare City Clean Sheet
For just the second time in their past 15 matches in all competitions, Manchester City were able to hold their opponents off the score-sheet for an entire 90 minutes. Claudio Bravo will be thanking his back-line as the Chilean keeper didn’t face a single shot on target all night. While Sheffield are known more so for their solidity at the back, Pep and co. will be happy to have kept a clean sheet regardless, especially after conceding three times away to Wolves on Friday night.
(Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester City 2-0 Sheffield United
Manchester City bounce back from Wolves defeat with a 2-0 victory over a resolute Sheffield United side at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City got back to winning ways on Sunday evening as two second-half goals helped them to see off a stern challenge from Chris Wilder’s men.
Goals from Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne proved enough as Pep Guardiola’s men bounced back from their disappointing 3-2 defeat at Wolverhampton on Friday night.
It wasn’t plain sailing for the home side though, with VAR once again playing a key role after Lys Mousset’s first-half effort was ruled out for offside.
It’s a first away league defeat of the season for the visitors who drop to eighth, whilst Manchester City opened up a ten-point lead on fifth-placed Manchester United.
Story of the game
The visitors came into the game without a defeat on the road in their first season back in the Premier League and it was the Blades who had the better of a largely uneventful first half.
Club record signing Lys Moussett had a gilt-edged opportunity to give the visitors the lead in the eighth minute when he found himself free inside the six-yard box, however, he couldn’t direct his header on target and the chance went begging.
The physical advantage that the Blades had over the hosts was evident as they looked for an early breakthrough as John Egan headed over just after the 20-minute mark.
The hosts thought they had opened the scoring just shy of half an hour into the contest as Mousset latched onto John Fleck’s long ball and raced away to finish past Claudio Bravo, sending the away end into delirium.
However, that joy proved to be short-lived after VAR deemed the Frenchman to be offside as the scores remained goalless.
Mousset was proving a nuisance for the Manchester City back four - consisting of Spanish youngster Eric Garcia and Ukrainian fullback Oleksandr Zinchenko who came in in place of Nicolas Otamendi and Benjamin Mendy after their disappointing performances at Molineux on Boxing Day - and the Blades striker had another good chance to open the scoring just before half time.
Again a long ball over the top, this time from Oliver Norwood, found Mousset in behind however his near post effort flew wide of the upright.
Guardiola’s men would have counted themselves fortunate to be level at the break but it was the home side who opened the scoring early in the second half through Sergio Aguero.
The Argentinian had hardly had a touch of the ball in the game but needed no second invitations after Kevin De Bruyne’s inch-perfect pass found him in behind the back four as he powered an unstoppable effort past Dean Henderson at his near post.
There was an air of controversy around the goal though, as referee Chris Kavanagh had inadvertently obstructed the Sheffield United players who were attempting to close down the Belgian. However, after a short review, VAR allowed the goal to stand.
The goal changed the complexity of the game completely as the hosts began to control possession and dictate the tempo of the game.
They had an opportunity to double their lead on 75 minutes after Riyad Mahrez was brought down on the edge of the box, however, De Bruyne’s right-footed effort flew inches wide.
Despite being in control of the game, the hosts knew a second was needed to wrap up the three points and a second is what they got soon after through the ever influential Kevin De Bruyne.
A quick flowing move saw Mahrez bring the ball upfield and with options on either side, he opted for the Belgian on his left who took a touch before firing through the legs of Enda Stevens and past a stationary Henderson at his near post.
It was a scoreline that seemed harsh on the visitors, who gave as good as they got throughout the course of the 90 minutes and they almost grabbed a deserved consolation deep into injury time.
Stevens' ball from the left found substitute Billy Sharp in the box, however, his header came back off the inside of the post and away from danger as Manchester City bounced back from Friday night’s disappointment with a much needed three points.
Takeaways from the game
Eric Garcia looks the part
Manchester City fans have been crying out for Eric Garcia to get a run in the first team since Ayermic Laporte picked up a long-term injury back in September and the 18-year-old took advantage of his first Premier League start tonight.
Despite allowing Mousset a free header early on, Garcia looked a figure of composure throughout the 90 minutes and with Otamendi failing to impress of late, could this be the performance needed to solidly a starting spot in Guardiola’s side?
Sergio Aguero is key to this Manchester City side.
Despite looking frustrated at his lack of service in the first half, Sergio Aguero’s clinical opener showed exactly how important he is to this side.
It was the only real chance he got before making way for Phil Foden in the 80th minute, but in a game of a few chances for the home side, Sergio made his one count.
Sheffield United once again show their worth.
Few gave them any chance at survival at the start of the season, yet whilst fellow promoted sides Aston Villa and Norwich City are struggling at the foot of the table, Sheffield United once again showed that they are the real deal.
Despite coming away empty-handed in terms of points, their performance, particularly that of the first 45 minutes, will fill Chris Wilder with lots of confidence as they push for a European spot.
Sadio Mane gave Liverpool the lead in the first half just before Wolves had a marginal offside call go against them.
VAR took centre stage on Merseyside as it interfered with two goals in the first half, awarding one and disallowing the other.
Sadio Mane thought he'd given Liverpool the lead on 42 minutes but the referee had blown for a handball on Adam Lallana.
A lengthy VAR check eventually awarded the goal as replays showed it touched his shoulder and not his arm, a fine example of how the technology can work.
Soon after, though, Wolverhampton Wanderers had thought they'd equalised through Pedro Neto and celebrations were well underway until it was ruled out for a tight offside call in the build up.
The opening stages of the first half were relatively quiet at Anfield as Liverpool dominated possession and looked to push for an opener.
Three minutes in Trent Alexander-Arnold sent in a pin-point cross and put it on a plate for Mohamed Salah, but his effort flew over the bar.
On six minutes, a rare mistake from Virgil Van Dijk left Joe Gomez in a foot race with Neto and conceded the Reds' first corner of the game.
Salah attempted a one-two with Lallana and nearly put the Reds ahead with 11 minutes gone, denied only by two defensive blocks from the Wolves backline.
The flag eventually went up as the Egyptian strayed just offside in the build-up but it was a well-worked Liverpool move.
A few minutes later, a quick corner from the hosts carved an opportunity as most people switched off - all except Georginio Wijnaldum who picked the ball up in the box and put a good chance over the bar.
Midway through the first half Van Dijk sent a fantastic ball through to Mane, who layed it off to Salah.
It dropped kindly for the Egyptian on the volley but his effort was comfortably held by the Wolves keeper.
30 minutes in, Mane spun to get a shot away but his attempt was deflected wide. The resulting corner saw Roberto Firmino head just wide of the post.
It took until the closing stages of the first 45 for Liverpool to find a breakthrough.
Mane gave the Reds the lead with a drilled effort into the bottom corner, but Anthony Taylor blew for a handball in the build up because of Lallana.
Replays showed the midfielder used his shoulder as opposed to his arm. A long VAR check eventually gave the goal, much to the visitor's frustrations.
Anger surfaced and Wolves piled on the pressure, eventually going level in stoppage time.
Neto stunned Anfield as Liverpool failed to clear a corner effectively and he fired an effort past Alisson.
Tensions were high as VAR looked at the position of Jonny in the build up and eventually deemed the goal to be offside, a decision that saw manager Nuno Espirito Santo booked for voicing his disapproval.
It was early changes in the second half for the Wolves coach as Adama Traoré and Romain Saiss came on for Ruben Neves and Leander Dendoncker.
Liverpool continued to pile on the pressure, though, as moments later Firmino sent an effort off-target following some good build-up from Salah and Mane.
There were shouts for a penalty with 64 minutes gone as Mane was closed down and brought down in the box as he tried to get a shot away, it was deemed a fair challenge and the referee waved play on.
Lallana's evening came to a close just after as he made way for Naby Keita, with just under half an hour left to play.
Alisson bailed out Van Dijk with a save at his near post to deny Diogo Jota, the central defender appeared far to casual on the ball as he was dispossessed in a dangerous position and conceded a good opportunity.
Raul Jiminez then took the place of Jota on 71 minutes, being Wolves' third and final substitution.
A dangerous break with 10 minutes to go saw Salah nearly extended the Reds' lead.
A heavy touch allowed Conor Coady to step in and prevent a clear cut opportunity.
Jiminez scuffed a good chance on 82 minutes as he fired an effort over the bar, swiftly closed down by both Alexander-Arnold and Gomez.
It was a double change for Liverpool on 85 minutes as Wijnaldum and Firmino made way for Divock Origi and James Milner - the game very much on a knife edge.
Wolves found themselves with two late opportunities on the edge of the box, but hurried their efforts and sent them flying over the bar - huge let-offs for Liverpool as some lacklustre defending conceded the chances.
Ruben Vinagre was next to let a late chance go begging as he attempted a shot from a tight angle, sending it off target after beating Alexander-Arnold in the build up.
A vital block from Van Dijk deep into stoppage time to deny a Traoré effort proved to be enough to ensure Liverpool's cloak of invincibility remained firmly in tact as they earned another three points.
Takeaways from the match
VAR causes debate, yet again...
It wasn't the most entertaining game on the pitch as both teams appeared to struggle for energy, which is understandable given the intense fixture schedule.
But, there were plenty of talking points surrounding VAR and the decisions made in the first half.
The technology was used at its best 42 minutes in surrounding Liverpool's opener - although Wolves' players remained aggrieved complaining about a earlier hand ball officials deemed 'inconclusive.'
A large number of goals have been disallowed this season for tight offside calls, Wolves' equaliser can be added to the list.
Liverpool themselves have been on the wrong end of similar decisions, Mane against Watford and Firmino against Aston Villa the situations that come to mind.
The Dutch defender wasn't at his best as he made his 100th appearance for the Reds.
Both Gomez and Alisson were called into action across the 90 minutes to bail the 28-year-old out of uncharacteristic mistakes.
Of course though, with such high standards set for himself, even the slightest drop off is noticeable.
Though it was his late last-ditch defending deep into stoppage time that secured the three points for Liverpool - so even his "off days" are still solid enough performances.
Another tough fixture, another win...
Once again Jurgen Klopp's side have forced themselves over the line and navigated their way through a difficult fixture.
Wolves walked into Anfield bouncing after a fantastic comeback to beat Manchester City only a few days ago, and carried on that form by putting in a resilient yet dangerous display against Liverpool.
Wolves isn't an easy game for any side, but once again the 'mentality monsters' saw the game out and extended their unbeaten run, ending 2019 with an important victory.
No hay dudas que Leo Messi es el referente más claro del fútbol mundial. Cierra 2019 habiéndose proclamado vencedor del Balón de Oro, 'The Best' y Bota de Oro pero, a la vez, perdiendo ilusión con el Barcelona y su selección de Argentina en los momentos más cruciales del año.
La vida deportiva y, sobre todo, del mundo del fútbol se entiende con la figura de Leo Messi. Es, indiscutiblemente, la referencia del juego con balón, de la magia en los estadios, de provocar sonrisas incluso a aquellos más alejados de lo que representa. El argentino arrasa a cada paso que da y es que, a sus treintaidós años, lo ha conseguido todo. Aunque le sepa a poco y siempre quiera más, ha tocado la gloria más exquisita.
Se acaba 2019 y con el un gran año para el astro del fútbol mundial. La actividad arrancó con la visita del Barcelona a Getafe y con el gol de Messi, que marcaba el primero del partido y de los doce meses que estaban por llegar. El equipo de Valverde consiguió llevarse tres puntos del Coliseum Alfonso Pérez a vísperas de los octavos de final de Copa del Rey, donde todo pintaba muy feliz.
Aunque Messi no participase en la derrota ante el Levante que podía estar complicando la andadura por la Copa, el capitán quiso vestirse de gala en el siguiente compromiso liguero para demostrar a la afición que debían seguir creyendo en el equipo y en los objetivos marcados en el vestuario.
La Copa marca un arranque de año irregular
La deshecha de Roma de meses atrás había dolido, con creces, entre los futbolistas azulgranas. La vergüenza y la decepción eran reales por lo que el objetivo primordial de esas cuatro paredes era dar un golpe de efecto y demostrar que habían nacido con espíritu vencedor.
Mientras la Liga Santander empezaba a encarrilarse, la Copa del Rey estaba dando verdaderos rompe cabezas a Ernesto Valverde, que no quería caer en la trampa de dejar escapar una competición que diera validez a su trabajo. En cuartos esperaba el Sevilla y aún con el ‘10’ en la Ciudad Condal el equipo volvió a perder el rumbo. Tocaba remontar en casa y esa cita sí que no quiso perdérsela el mejor del mundo.
El Barcelona se planta, por sexto año consecutivo, en la Final de Copa del Rey
El Barcelona consiguió endosar un 6-1 favorable ante los de Pablo Machín y certificar su avance en el pulso por el trofeo final. Las semifinales fueron intensas, con un clásico a doble partido ante el eterno rival: el Real Madrid. La visita de los blancos al Camp Nou se saldó con un triste 1-1 pero, tres semanas después, Valverde iba a dar la sorpresa en el Santiago Bernabéu. Con un 4-4-2 hasta el momento inédito, el ‘doblete’ de Suárez y el gol en propia puerta de Varane firmaron el 0-3 que condujo hasta la final al ‘Rey de Copas’.
Objetivo: recuperar la Champions League
La Liga Santander seguía siendo la competición más placentera para los intereses catalanes, dejando atrás a los perseguidores más claros (Atlético y Real Madrid) para sumar puntos por doquier. No había duda que la regularidad salda los errores puntuales del Barcelona, que supo mantener el listón hasta el mes de mayo, donde pudo proclamarse campeón con jornadas de margen.
Victoria de prestigio para soñar con la Champions | Foto: Noelia Déniz - VAVEL
Sin embargo, Leo Messi tenía entre ceja y ceja las palabras que había prometido a la afición: iban a devolver la Champions League al sitio que merecía. Y ese no era otro que entre las vitrinas del Camp Nou. Superada la fase inicial de la competición europea, a los catalanes no les tembló el pulso en arrollar por 5-1 al Olympique de Lyon y dejarles fuera del sueño continental. La expectativa era máxima ante el equipo que lideraba Messi y los cuartos no decepcionaron a nadie: en la visita a Old Trafford el Manchester United tuvo que pagar los platos rotos de varios años en la retaguarda; una semana después, el feudo culé se llenó hasta arriba para vibrar con la clasificación para el último escalón, cuando los dos goles de Messi y el siguiente de Coutinho regalaron, como mínimo, dos partidos más con el balón de estrellas.
La ciudad de Barcelona vivía su momento más feliz, las sensaciones eran parecidas a las de años atrás con Pep Guardiola en el banquillo. El equipo enamoraba con su juego, era un referente claro a nivel mundial, seguía vivo en las tres competiciones y, además, tenía de capitán a un Messi que ya había mostrado públicamente su ambición por ganar, ganar y seguir ganando. Y la euforia no se quebró ni cuando en el sorteo de semifinales el rival asignado fue el todo-poderoso Liverpool. Los ingleses estaban completando una temporada de ensueño, eran los reyes de la Premier League y en Europa pisaban con fuerza en cada aparición.
Liverpool marca la noche más triste
La alegría se desarmó tras los noventa minutos de fútbol vividos en el Camp Nou cuando el equipo firmó un 3-0 impensable en la previa del partido. Leo Messi acababa de hacer historia, una vez más, con una diana de falta directa imparable para Alisson Becker. Potente, colocado y con confianza ese balón tuvo clara su trayectoria: perforar la portería. El capitán salía en volandas del terreno de juego con una afición que ya buscaba vuelos y entradas para el Wanda Metropolitano, donde iba a celebrarse la Final de la UEFA Champions League.
Pero los fantasmas de Roma volvieron a sobrevolar el estadio de Anfield para ver los peores noventa minutos de toda la temporada azulgrana. Pese a que el vestuario había experimentado el año anterior el error mayúsculo de la última década, todo pareció poco para lo visto sobre el terreno de juego inglés. El Liverpool, que creyó en que una remontada era posible, presionó duramente la portería de Ter Stegen.
Cayó el primero, el segundo… y al conjunto de Valverde se le habían apagado todas las luces. El ambiente se crispaba para el barcelonismo, mientras la afición local sumaba como el duodécimo jugador. Los rostros de Messi y compañía parecían ya un poema escrito entre las cenizas de una guerra, pero peor era aún la poca capacidad de reacción. El rumbo estaba tan perdido que, en la acción más insólita, llegó la deshecha definitiva. El Liverpool consiguió las dos dianas restantes para eliminar del camino al Barcelona. Leo Messi volvía a llorar en su camino hacia vestuarios a sabiendas que habían tropezado, de nuevo, con la misma piedra. El sueño de volver a reinar en la Champions League se deshacía y esta vez por culpa del juego hecho, sin culpar a factores externos ni a injusticias arbitrales. El error era claro y la responsabilidad, también.
Un final de temporada desilusionante
Mucho se especuló en el cambio generacional que faltaba en el vestuario azulgrana, en las capacidades de Valverde de dirigir al equipo e incluso en la figura de Leo Messi como capitán. Pero aún quedaban batallas por disputar y una de ellas era la Final de la Copa del Rey. Pocos días antes de la cita en el Benito Villamarín, en rueda de prensa aparecían Gerard Piqué y Leo Messi para dar la cara ante los medios de comunicación. Mostraron un discurso sincero, honesto y asumiendo la carga de lo ocurrido en el Reino Unido. Pero también quisieron reforzar la idea de que querían vencer al Valencia y cerrar la temporada con otro título bajo el brazo.
Messi lidera al Barcelona | Foto: Noelia Déniz - VAVEL
La afición estaba dolida y decepcionada por cómo se había llegado a final de temporada en un cuento que parecía tener final feliz. Sin embargo, el 1 de junio, más de 20.000 culés viajaron hasta Sevilla para apoyar al equipo en su último asalto. Con el resquemor aún de la eliminación ante el Liverpool, el Barcelona tiró un año de prestigio con otra derrota inesperada. Le regalaba la Copa del Rey al rival sin apenas mostrar lucha en su juego, con Suárez lesionado y con un Messi que quedaba solo en ataque. Los valores que caracterizaban al Barça se habían esfumado, eran once jugadores colocados para mostrar desilusión y rabia.
El curso había terminado en Can Barça y los jugadores se marcharon, en gran mayoría, con sus respectivas selecciones. Leo Messi volvía a su amada, y a la vez complicada, Argentina natal para disputar la Copa América. Si con los azulgranas la andadura hasta junio había sido complicada, más lo era para la albiceleste, que tenía la necesidad de ganar un título con el ‘10’ en sus filas. Se lo debían.
Un verano agridulce
La competición, que se disputaba en Brasil, había situado a la AFA en el grupo B, donde terminó en segunda posición por detrás de Colombia. Pese a que se empezaba a especular con el juego de los de Scaloni, los cuartos de final dieron la alegría al país que vio nacer a Leo Messi cuando pudieron vencer por 0-2 a Venezuela.
La albiceleste necesitaba proclamarse campeona de la Copa América para rendir cuentas con ‘la pulga’. Sin embargo, las nubes negras aparecieron en semifinales cuando el Brasil de Arthur y compañía (con Neymar lesionado), cerró el paso a Argentina. Messi volvía a quedar eliminado de una competición en la que finalizarían en tercera posición. Un nuevo dolor de cabeza, una nueva desilusión para el mejor futbolista del planeta.
Messi levanta una nueva Bota de Oro
De esta manera acababa una temporada larga y cansada para el delantero, que había tenido que lidiar con la responsabilidad de todo lo ocurrido. Sin embargo, ya en la Ciudad Condal, recibía acompañado de su familia una nueva Bota de Oro, que le acreditaba como máximo anotador de las ligas europeas en la temporada 2018/19, además del premio ‘The best’ que le reconocía como el mejor jugador de la UEFA en el último año, por delante de Van Dijk y Cristiano Ronaldo.
La magia de un nuevo año
Cuando más ilusión había por verle de nuevo en los terrenos de juego, en el primer entrenamiento con el Barcelona cayó lesionado. Al principio parecía que no iba a ser una lesión demasiado larga, que se perdería la segunda parte de la pretemporada pero que rápidamente volvería a echarse a rodar. Nada más lejos de la realidad, a Messi se le tuvo que esperar hasta prácticamente el mes de octubre.
Sin embargo, desde que volvió, el Barcelona sumó potencial a su juego. El estreno del conjunto catalán sembró dudas e inseguridades, pero con el capitán en pleno rendimiento no hay dudas de que todo es posible. Pocas semanas atrás volvió a ponerse el traje de ‘Gentleman’ para que la historia volviera a su inicio: alzó su sexto Balón de Oro, que le reconocía de nuevo como el Mejor Futbolista del Mundo. Un título que, aunque ha pasado por diversas manos en los últimos años, nunca debió cambiar de dueño.
Messi, capitán del Barcelona | Foto: Noelia Déniz - VAVEL
Lo mejor de 2019 para Leo Messi es, sin duda, su capacidad de lideraje. Ya no solo por haber vuelto a levantar la Bota de Oro y el Balón de Oro, que siempre son una alegría. Sino por la figura que ocupa dentro del vestuario azulgrana. No hay dudas que es el referente, es a quien acudir, es el alma de este equipo y la cara visible de todas las alegrías y desilusiones.
Sin embargo, el año también le dio dolor al astro argentino: más allá de la lesión al inicio de la presente temporada, las desechas ante Liverpool y Brasil quemaron el espíritu del futbolista. Llegó a tentar, incluso, con una retirada, pero aseguró que, para él, el fútbol aún tiene que verle crecer y reinventarse.
Sin dudas, Messi es el regalo más grande que jamás podrá disfrutar un aficionado al fútbol, más allá de colores y equipos. El argentino es magia, es ilusión, es ambición y, además, es referente. Es elegancia, saber estar, superación y, por encima de todo, un aficionado al deporte que nos une. Él es Leo Messi.
.jpg)
-3.jpg)
.jpg)