Strange as it sounds, we are reaching that time when there will only be so many chances left to watch Lionel Messi. As we may expect, Messi himself doesn’t seem to understand this.
The heartbeat of yet another Barcelona incarnation, Messi will be 31 by the time this summer’s World Cup is done. In Argentina, they feel it may be his final one. So we savour nights like this, nights when the greatest footballer of our generation cheats the passing of time on the back of skills and appetite that refuse to wane.
We should not be surprised that Barcelona’s No 10 seems to retain the energy and capacity of youth. There is not a footballer alive who understands the rhythm of a game and the intricacies of his own game like Messi does.
We only have so many chances left to watch Lionel Messi, so we should savour every last one
With just less than 15 minutes to go, Messi buried his first ever goal against Chelsea to level
When the Barca players looked anguished after Chelsea’s opener, Messi looked determined
The Argentine celebrates after he scored the equaliser at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday
When Chelsea took the lead here at Stamford Bridge, there were worried looks towards the Barcelona bench from some visiting players, Luis Suarez, in particular, looked positively anguished.
Messi, though, merely bent down to tie his shoe laces. It felt like a moment of intent and it turned out that way. With less than 15 minutes to go, Andres Iniesta burst into the area and when he pulled the ball back, Messi eased into space to bury his first goal against Chelsea and place Barcelona in control of this tie.
The key here was the space and Messi’s ability to find it then use it that so often sets him apart.
Unlike many of his peers, including those on his own team, Messi does not seek the ball, he does not hunt the ball. Instead he finds pieces of solitude, waiting for the ball to come to him. His mind is always switched on but the body only follows when he has possession.
Messi posed the big threat for Barcelona and was cause for much Chelsea concern
The Argentina international gets a cross in despite being marked by seven Chelsea players
Messi does not seek the ball, he finds pieces of solitude, waiting for the ball to come to him
Maybe this is the secret of the endless energy, the eternal youth. He always has energy to burn when it is time to work with the ball. He has more in reserve than opponents who have been shuttling back and forth since the game began.
Messi would make a mockery of the running stats that analysts are so fond of. If there was a similar measurement available for lurking then he would be top of every list.
To play only in small, isolated bursts takes great skill and great confidence. If you watch him closely, you will see that he spends much of his time simply walking. But when the mood takes him Messi plays like a great fighter fights. He coasts and then he hits hard when it matters. Timing, they call it.
No better example of this came when he scored but it was there as early as the 10th minute at a time when Barcelona were dominating possession.
To play only in small, isolated bursts is a mark of a man with great skill and great confidence
If you watch him closely, you will see that he spends much of his time simply walking
Messi had enjoyed sporadic moments of influence prior to this moment but when he received the ball just inside the Chelsea half he suddenly sprang forward, easing past Pedro and N’Golo Kante and then bursting on, legs whirring, past Antonio Rudiger to lay the ball off to Paulinho on the right.
When the ball arrived at the near post a second or so later, it was Messi who was within an inch of turning it in.
Barcelona play a little differently under the current coach Ernesto Valverde.
They set up in a slightly more old fashioned 4-4-2 but Messi remains hefted to the creed first preached by Pep Guardiola. His movement remains so very difficult to track, he presses the opposition when it is necessary and he is always available, always with his head up, always making decisions and taking choices before the ball has even reached his foot.
Chelsea midfielders swarm the little magician before he is tackled by old friend Cesc Fabregas
When he has the ball at his feet, he always has his head up to look for the next pass
Chelsea have played against him enough times to know what it feels like. Defenders dare not try to get to close to him because he will be away on the back of one trick.
But if you give him and — by the same token — yourself space then he will use that precious time to hurt you anyway. The dilemma here largely belonged to Kante. The Chelsea holding player reads the game as well as anybody in the Premier League and is quick over the ground too.
But he is not Messi quick over 10 yards. Who really is? So this was a night for concentration and for making the right decisions, when to go and when to hold. It gives you a headache just to think about it.
In this Barcelona team, Suarez is supposed to be the furthest player forward in the line-up but often it is Messi. Suarez is the kind of player who needs to be involved to feel verified. He will seek the ball, seek activity. Messi is different. He seeks only the worthwhile.
It was N’Golo Kante who was largely tasked with trying to keep the 30-year-old quiet
Kante was assisted by his team-mate, and Messi’s old friend, Cesc Fabregas at times
Before this game Chelsea manager Antonio Conte had said that Messi gives him sleepless nights. Here at Stamford Bridge, the Argentine’s tangible impact was limited prior to the goal.
Kante was assisted by his team-mate Cesc Fabregas at times and, when Messi entered really deep territory, it was left to Chelsea’s back three to try and pick him up.
It is hard now not to fear his influence in the Nou Camp next month. The return leg will be his kind of night.
Messi continues to carry his unique threat deep into his career. Still walking, still lurking, still hurrying, still causing panic.
Messi continues to carry his unique threat in to his 13th year, still lurking, still causing panic