"Enrique did not stumble upon Messi's ability to pass accurately over long distances; that was a trait showcased liberally by Guardiola, who was responsible for creating the second phase of the Messi monster, the false-nine. Undoubtedly, this was the period in which Messi was at his most productive and effective in front of goal. He became the central piece—literally—to the most high-octane attack in the world, linking fluidly with the likes of Henry, Eto'o, Villa and Pedro over a span of four seasons.
"His statistical output during this time was ludicrous. His goal tally rose steadily with each passing season, culminating in a 73-goal campaign in 2011-12 and a 91-goal calendar year in 2012. He never failed to register double digits in assists either, managing as many as 29 in the same season he topped out on goals.
"Key to this was his new position, playing as a false-nine. Guardiola brought him in the centre and placed a speedy, clever forward either side of him, then asked Messi to drop deep (encouraging the defensive line to follow him up the pitch), turn on the ball and pick out a colleague's darting run in behind. Team after team fell prey to it, with either Messi setting up one-on-ones for the likes of Villa to gobble up, or him receiving the ball back from the byline area to slot in.
"His involvement in how Barcelona constructed attacks soared, and, critically, his central position between the lines placed him in the ideal spot to connect with Sergio Busquets directly. Barcelona became synonymous with mesmeric, elongated passages of play during this time, but they also regularly skipped toward goal with just two passes—Busquets to Messi, Messi into the path of a runner.
"The other hallmark of Barca's play during this period was their pressing, or more specifically counter-pressing. Busquets was the most important factor in these scenarios, followed by his fellow midfielders, but Messi played a part. Utilising quick bursts, he would nip in and steal possession, creating turnovers high up for Barca to profit from. The 2009/10 season saw him register 0.9 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game in LaLiga, numbers only just shy of prolific runner Pedro (1.2 and 1.2)."
Would you like Messi to return to the false-nine position?
