"He has weaknesses, contrary to what people think” - When Arsene Wenger highlighted 2 flaws in Lionel Messi

Legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once claimed that Lionel Messi, one of the greatest footballers of all time, has two very obvious flaws. La Pulga is one of the most decorated players ever with a record-breaking eight Ballon d'Or awards to his name.

The French tactician pointed out that the Argentine forward is not good in the air or good defensively. La Pulga's inability to affect the game aerially is a result of his height. The Barcelona legend is only 5 feet 7 inches tall and while his smaller stature gives him better control of the ball due to his low center of gravity, it makes him relatively ineffective in the air.

Messi’s lack of defensive attributes seem more like an intentional trade off, with the legendary forward focusing more on influencing the game with his passing and scoring abilities.

Wenger pointed out these flaws in Messi's game during an interview with RTL in 2018, saying:

"Messi is the most perfect of them all because he can make others play, and he can score himself, but he has weaknesses, contrary to what some people think. If you analyse his game, he's not very good in the air, he's not great defensively. But you don't make a living out of your weaknesses, you make a living out of your strengths, therefore the coach must emphasise the strengths as much as possible and put players around this person who hides his weaknesses."

Despite his analysis of Lionel Messi, Wenger has an uninspiring record against the Argentine maestro. Messi's Barcelona faced Arsene Wenger's Arsenal on six occasions, in which the forward scored nine goals and provided two assists. Barca won four of these matches while one ended in a draw and another in an Arsenal win.

How Lionel Messi continues to dominate football despite the flaws Arsenal Legend Arsene Wenger pointed out in his game

Lionel Messi is not the biggest or hardest working player on the pitch, but he is immaculate at reading the game. The Argentine superstar can often be seen walking around on the pitch, scanning for weaknesses in the opposition and analyzing patterns.

Messi's astute analysis of the terrain in front of him, coupled with his ability to find his teammates, results in the Argentine playing some exquisite passes. He is also one of the greatest finishers the game has ever seen, consistently outperforming his xG (expected goals) numbers.

Another deadly asset Messi possesses is his monstrous turn of pace, due to which he got the nickname 'La Pulga,' which translates to 'the flea'.