Lionel Messi could make his first start for Inter Miami after his dramatic winning goal debut as his new team play against Atlanta United in the Leagues Cup on Tuesday, coach Gerard Martino said. Messi made an explosive impression after coming on as a 54th-minute substitute in Friday’s 2-1 win over Mexican club Cruz Azul, netting a stoppage-time free-kick for victory. Miami’s Argentina head coach Martino opted to limit minutes for Messi and Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets on Friday, but with both players making such a strong impression, Martino said on Monday he is tempted to start the pair against his former club on Tuesday.
“Well, it is very likely that both Leo and Busi will play more time. In fact, I think if they play more (than) we will change the dynamic and maybe they will leave from the start. But we all know that when Leo starts, we are talking about 90 minutes,” said the former Barcelona and Argentina coach.
“But everything will depend on how they feel. It’s only the second game they’re going to play,” he said.
A victory in Tuesday’s game at the DRV PNK stadium would see Inter advance to the knockout stage of the new tournament for Major League Soccer and Mexican Liga MX clubs.
MLS has suspended regular season play until August 20, meaning Messi and company would be without a scheduled match for nearly a month if they failed to progress.
Martino said his players are still working through the changes they need to make to get the best out of their two new star team-mates, who will soon be joined by Spain’s former Barca full-back Jordi Alba.
“We had already started changing the way we play, but it is clear that with Busquets, Jordi and Leo we will have to (further) adjust the way we play and we also have to work on raising the level in general,” said Martino.
The hype surrounding Messi’s move to the US has only increased after Friday’s premiere, but in the dressing room goalkeeper Drake Callender says the players have tried to keep the team moving as normally as possible for the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who has impressed them with his down-to-earth approach.
“I didn’t really know what to expect because I’ve never been around a player of that ability, but he’s a pretty humble guy. He’s chill,” he said.
“He’s still trying to get a sense of how everything works here. So I think for myself and for some of the other players we just make him feel welcome, make him feel like one of our teammates and he’s comfortable here.”
“I try to chat with him when I can to make him feel like he’s part of the team. Again, just treat him like one of my teammates. I think he’s someone who wherever he goes there are all these cameras and lights. People want him to draw things and people want to talk to him. So I just try to be as normal as possible,” Callender added.
While Messi inevitably made headlines, former Barcelona midfielder Busquets also seemed instantly comfortable with his new team, restoring his old rapport with the Argentine.
Canadian center back Kamal Miller said having one of the best passers on the ball for him requires a different approach to the distribution of the ball from the back.
“Certainly, with a player of that quality, we always want to look through him. He can put the needle in at any time and find the great pass, so it’s something we look for a lot. And having a guy with that quality attracts so much attention, it opens up space for everyone, so I think we’re all going to benefit from it and hopefully it continues to go like it did on Friday,” he said.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Topics mentioned in this article