Barcelona: Lionel Messi is having an underappreciated playmaking season

It may sound weird but Lionel Messi is underrated.

No player in world football has had more hefty expectations placed on his shoulders than Lionel Messi. In each and every season, Messi somehow manages to raise the bar even higher thanks to his world-class play. His sheer ability to make the most difficult sequences on the pitch look simplistic and effortless leaves those watching in awe and wanting more.

Take for instance his recent performance against Villarreal in an away league fixture.

Messi finished with his sixth league game of at least two assists this season. He also logged in six goal-scoring chances created (two being classified as big chances), 81 passes completed and three dribbles completed. In manager Quique Setien’s newly incorporated diamond 4-4-2 setup, Messi displayed his finest performance since play resumed from the shutdown.

For many other players, this kind of performance would have received high praise for such a dominant on-ball display against a durable squad in Villarreal. But for Messi, it was just another day at the office.

Lionel Messi’s continued dominance in La Liga for Barcelona

Sometimes, the on-field expectations that are placed on Messi can become unfair to him because he is expected to meet the high standards in every match. This often makes one take for granted his stellar play on the pitch. But worse of all, it can also make some of his greatest accomplishments become overlooked and underappreciated.

His playmaking prowess this season exemplifies just that.

In La Liga this year, Messi leads the league in assists with 19 over 29 appearances, which is a new career-high. The fact that Messi leads La Liga in assists is far from a surprise; he ranked first in assists in four of the last five league seasons. Among all players in Europe’s top five leagues this season, only Thomas Muller (21) stands in Messi’s way of finishing another season leading in this category.

With two more assists, Messi will set a new La Liga record for most in a season. The current record is held by Xavi Hernandez at 20, which he hit over the 2008–2009 season when under manager Pep Guardiola.

And overall, Messi amounts for four assists combined over the Champions League and Copa Del Rey competitions. This brings up his season total to 23, which is his most since the awe-struck 27 over the 2014–2015 treble-winning season.

From his hat-trick of assists against Real Betis to his open goal gift to Luis Suarez against Real Sociedad, it is yet another season deserving of far more recognition for Messi.

What makes it all work for Messi is his continued ability to progress the ball upfield with ease. Whether it is via quick dribbles or line-splitting passes, Messi’s high IQ play when on the ball is something to marvel at.

When Messi decides to keep the ball and dribble upfield, he often leaves behind multiple defenders dazed and confused. Messi is a magician at exploiting open space and moving with sheer elegance when dribbling upfield. He possesses the knack to wiggle out of tight space and thwart off any incoming pressure from an opponent because of his advanced ball control — an aspect of his play that has had La Liga managers pulling at their hair in frustration.

Messi leads the league in essentially every statistic that tracks on-ball movements — and by a significant margin. He ranks first in successful dribbles completed with 155; no other player totals for more than 80. He also tops the league in progressive runs with 167. His progressive distance figure, which accumulates the total yards that a player controls the ball when moving upfield to the opponent’s goal, stands at 8,073. Among all attacking players in the league, only Sevilla’s Lucas Ocampos (5,265) is currently over the 5,000 total yards number. Opponents revere Messi’s on-ball dribbling skill set for a reason.

Messi’s ball progression capability undoubtedly extends to his creativity as a passer. It has always been part of his repertoire as an attacking player — even from the days under Guardiola — but the Argentine made it more of a focus as of late. While continuing to be the most prolific goal-scorer in Europe, Messi has succeeded in reinventing his on-ball play just a bit to complement the array of players that often patrol into the final third.

Last season in league play, Messi registered astounding numbers in both key passes per 90 (3.02) and passes into the penalty box per 90 (4.68). Messi has picked off where he left off from last season with formidable rates of a key passes per 90 figure of 2.79 and passes into the penalty box per 90 of 3.86 this season. His vision on the pitch is unmatched. It makes it even more difficult for opposing managers to formulate a scouting report for fixtures against Barca since Messi is highly unpredictable with his creativity to push play deep into the final third without even breaking a sweat.

Messi’s freedom to roam the pitch also contributes to how well he has reinvented his on-ball playmaking style. He scours the pitch and hovers over into open space without much of a hassle. Whether it is on the right flanks or more inside along the center, it provides him with more time to survey the pitch and find teammates to dish off possible goal-scoring chances created passes. This can come via his signature curling long ball or vintage through ball.

His roaming positioning in build-up phases is why he leads the league in total passes completed into the final third among attacking players with a 167 figure. What makes the statistic even more impressive is that Deportivo Alaves’ Joselu ranks second with 70.

It is unfortunate that not much recognition is going Messi’s way regarding his tremendous playmaking campaign, which is now deemed as just another regular season for him. Much of the attention surrounding Messi over the campaign has sprayed over to the unnecessary off-field controversies within the board and the narrative surrounding his diminishing ability to score at a top-class level, which is yet another example of where the high standards placed on him take for granted his overall play.

With just a few games remaining in league play coupled with the Champions League knockout stage, it is best to just appreciate Messi rather than continue to expect more out of his play. Sure, he might not reach the 40-goal number this season or win the European Golden Boot. But what he has contributed as a playmaker over these couple of seasons is a grand achievement even by his own relatively high standards.

Just appreciate the Argentine genius.