Klopp: Only Messi has the privilege of not defending! But I have never coached Messi!

October 21st. The famous coach Klopp was a guest on the program "Diary Of A CEO" hosted by Steven Bartlett, during which he mentioned Messi.

Klopp started talking about the two players Milner and Arnold. He said that Milner did not need to be reminded, he knew what to do, but Arnold was still very young at the time and needed to be taught, such as defense. Every player needs to work hard on defense, this is his basic requirement. Then Klopp mentioned Messi. He said that only Messi has the privilege of not defending, but he has never coached Messi.

Klopp said that if a player is not Messi, he must defend. Because I have never coached Messi, any of my players must participate in defense. Klopp said that every player must implement this tactic, but in fact everyone has different characteristics. If you want the team to really reach such a state, they need to be team-oriented.

Klopp said this, Guardiola also said this, and many head coaches will think so. This "Messi exceptionalism" is not a denial of defensive value, but a supreme recognition of Messi's offensive contribution - his offensive talent is so outstanding that any coach is willing to re-establish tactical discipline for him. However, this privilege narrative often obscures the fact that Messi is an underrated defender in his own right.

Even in the American Major League, where he is about to retire, Messi can have several steals in a game and lead the game. In a peak showdown with Atletico Madrid in 2017, Messi had 6 steals by himself! Second only to Alba and Umtiti. Messi's defense has always been top-notch among forwards. For example, his steal success rate in La Liga and the Champions League in one season exceeded 30%, and he successfully regained the ball nearly 70 times in more than 200 defensive presses! This data exceeds that of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mbappe and other super giants in the same period, and is second only to Lewandowski.

In short, Messi can not defend because his offense is too strong, but this statement also easily makes Messi's efforts on the defensive end ignored. Just like Messi, who is too talented and ranked number one in history, his historically top self-discipline and hard work can easily be ignored.