Casemiro, Neymar, and the Legend that Argentina ran for a stationary Messi

Casemiro, in an interview with GE, praised Neymar, stating: ‘If this guy is doing well. If this guy is doing well physically, mentally, this guy is by far the best.’ However, Neymar’s physical and technical fitness has been inconsistent, playing less than 30 matches for his club in a season since leaving Barcelona in 2017. Asked if it would be worth the Brazilian national team tactically adjusting for Neymar, Casemiro replied: ‘Definitely. Argentina did it with Messi. Julián Alvarez dropped back, and Messi played as a false nine. They were defending with a low block, and Messi was there in front.’ Refuting the notion of a stationary Messi, the statistics from the Qatar World Cup corroborate that the Argentine star was dynamic in attack. Considering Alvarez played fewer minutes, there is a balance in their activities, with Messi demonstrating involvement beyond offensive plays. While Neymar struggles to surpass 30 matches per season since 2017, Messi maintained an average of 46 matches during his European career, despite being five years older than the Brazilian. Casemiro’s assessment is inaccurate.