Double the Fun: Breaking Down Busquets and Messi's First Start For Inter Miami | The Heron Outlet
Lionel Messi is inevitable. Here's how it all went down on the pitch.
Fort Lauderdale, FL - Inter Miami has a golden opportunity at its fingertips.
The Herons have two football cheat codes on their roster, with Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi.
Though they sit last in the Eastern Conference, with Messi and Busquets in tow, it’s only a matter of time before results start to change for the better,
For example, take Miami’s opening Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul.
Miami’s game instantly transformed when the pair stepped onto the field in the 54th minute.
Messi looked comfortable cutting inside, drifting into the half-spaces between Cruz Azul’s two defensive lines as the Argentine ended the match with five passes into the final third, a 92% pass completion rate on 35 touches.
(Messi heatmap vs. Cruz Azul - via Sofascore)
Similarly, Busquets rarely seemed to get out of first gear, as he showed his class on the ball, bringing progressive passing and a sense of serenity in a stagnant Miami midfield. He had time and space to push the team forward offensively as well.
The Spaniard finished his night with six passes into the final third, two chances created, and completed 94% of his passes.
So, as we take a look at the pair’s latest performance in Miami’s 4-0 thrashing of Atlanta United, we will begin to see a shift in the team’s overall tactics since their arrival.
Let’s break that down.
Attacking Fluidity Is Here!
Tata Martino lined up his side in a “4-3-3” with Robert Taylor (who had an excellent game, by the way), Josef Martinez, and Messi as the front three, Benjamin Cremaschi, Busquets, and Dixon Arroyo as the midfielders, and Noah Allen, Kamal Miller, Sergii Kryvtsov, and DeAndre Yedlin as the back four.
Unlike previous Miami sides where they would have a lot of possession but no clue what to do with it, the Herons under Martino, so far, have begun to take a possession-heavy, direct approach.
Against Atlanta, Martino set the team’s offensive posture in a 3-2-5, with Messi tucking inside to play next to Josef, Yedlin holding the width in the space Messi vacated, Taylor hugging the touchline on the left, and Cremaschi pushing into the half spaces to make up the attacking front line.
In the middle, Busquets and Arroyo were the two holding midfielders, with Busquets acting as a single pivot, while Arroyo would drop back into the right backspace to cover for the galloping Yedlin playing in an advanced position.
The back three, comprised of Kryvstov, Miller, and Allen, were key to this offensive setup. The trio was the first phase of buildup for Miami and often looked for the midfield pairing of Busquets/Arroyo or a roaming Messi to progress the ball forward.
Kryvstov, Miller, and Allen ended the match completing more than 90% of their passes, which shows just how important building from the back will be for Martino as the team progresses.
In short, the 3-2-5 was set up to maximize the most out of Messi’s offensive capabilities and give Busquets protection so he can dictate the tempo in midfield.
Busquets surrounded by Arroyo, Kryvsov, Miller, and Allen gave the Spaniard ample bodies around him just in case he lost the ball; rarely did this ever happen, though.
The space created due to the 3-2-5 allowed Busquets to do what he does best: create and retain possession. He ended the night completing 93% of his passes, nine passes into the final third, one key pass, and four recoveries.
The stat line was possible due to Atlanta United’s poor defensive positioning, hence the lopsided final score.
The Five Stripes gave far too much space to both Messi and Busquets, which saw the duo combine for the opening goal of the night:
And similarly, during Messi's second goal of the night…:
Overall, the 3-2-5 formation enables Messi to move freely (see heat map below) while maintaining defensive stability (as evidenced by Miami's clean sheet). Additionally, this formation provides other players around Messi to support him offensively and allow him to play off them.
The Argentine, once again, had another phenomenal night for La Rosanegra, where he scored twice and got his first Miami assist. He left the game with two chances created and 11 passes into the final third, capping off a brilliant performance.
It may be too soon to tell if opposing teams will discover a way to counteract this, but for now, let's appreciate what we are witnessing on the field - a true legend of the game showcasing his talents.
