Lionel Messi Suffering ‘Significant Wear And Tear’ – Tata Martino

Tata Martino believes Inter Miami needs to change their game because of the “wear and tear” Lionel Messi has sustained.

The 2024 MLS season has seen Messi and his Miami teammates play just two games. In their opening victory over Real Salt Lake, the Argentine scored one goal and assisted on another in a draw with LA Galaxy. But Herons’ manager, Martino, is already worried about his star player’s fitness and believes the other players need to stand up to help the 36-year-old.

READ ALSO: Messi To Win Another Award? Bellingham & Haaland Nominated

“What worries me most today is the day-to-day life and how he is recovering game by game,” he told reporters on Friday. “I feel that in these first two games we have resorted to him in each game in an exaggerated way and that it has caused him significant wear and tear. Precisely the match against Orlando in the Leagues Cup was a match where he found the ball many times in the final quarter of the field. In fact, at the time of finishing the plays, he almost scored a goal in the six-yard box.

“And that is what we have to look for in him, that the team finds him to make plays, but sometimes they find him to finish those plays. I feel that he has had too much wear and tear in these two games, and That is also my responsibility to make the team work in such a way that we can use it in a diverse way.”

With players like Jordi Alba, Messi, and Sergio Busquets, Inter Miami is expected to contend for a spot in the MLS playoffs this year, having missing out on the playoffs the previous year. The former Barcelona players are anticipated to do far better in 2024 now that they will have played a whole season and are back with forward Luis Suarez.

Martino might start Messi when they play Orlando City on Saturday, despite concerns regarding his physical state. In their opening Major League Soccer encounter of the year against Montreal Impact, their rivals from Florida drew goallessly.