tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1232161975324785103.post573155033368260620..comments2024-03-23T09:03:55.594+01:00Comments on Total Football: Why Xavi should be the #1Juan A. Gisberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11377158834506459265noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1232161975324785103.post-12634574979024444042011-07-27T20:35:43.407+02:002011-07-27T20:35:43.407+02:00"As extraordinary as they are, Lionel Messi a..."As extraordinary as they are, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo do not define a style, they do not change the teams they are in. They are the best in what they do. They make the difference and they would do it anywhere they would go, but none of them have the influence to change the style."<br /><br />I actually disagree to a certain extent.<br /><br />Messi's evolution from a inverted winger to a false 9 at the end of the 08/09 campaign certainly changed Barcelona's system and made a plenty of teams copy their attacking patterns. The arrival of Christiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid also made changes since it created an asymmetric attacking pattern.<br /><br />Obviously those two players did not put their stamp on a system in a way similar to Xavi's, however CMs were never likely to win individual awards despite great performances (Pirlo in 2006).Ezequielnoreply@blogger.com