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Former United States international Dax McCarty believes Lionel Messi's minutes on the pitch need to be managed if Inter Miami are to win trophies. He opined that the Argentine icon needs to come off after the hour mark in all matches so that he can be fresh for the next game.
Speaking on MLS Wrap-Up, McCarthy said manager Javier Mascherano needs to be brave and take Messi off the pitch in the second half of Inter Miami games. He believes the rotation of the squad and giving the Barcelona legend enough rest would be key to the club winning silverware this season. McCarty said (via GOAL):
“I just still think if Inter Miami wants to win every competition they're in, you give yourself a better chance to beat LAFC with Lionel Messi coming off after 60 minutes (against Toronto) and getting fresh legs on the field. Listen, it's a tough balance to follow, but against a Toronto FC team I think you should beat comfortably, I thought Messi should have come off.”
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Lionel Messi played 90 minutes in back-to-back matches last week when Inter Miami faced LAFC in the CONCACAF Champions Cup and Toronto FC in the MLS.
Inter Miami are managing Lionel Messi's minutes this season
Javier Mascherano spoke to the media in March and said he needs to limit Lionel Messi's minutes, as he had suffered from injuries in the last few months. The Inter Miami coach added that he was reluctant to take risks with the Argentine legend, even if it meant dropping points in matches. He said (via GOAL):
“The reality is that in the case of Leo maybe we had thought about giving him minutes in the game. But since the game was played with one man less, and taking into consideration the time he has without playing, we thought that the best thing was to preserve it. We didn't want to risk it.”
“It's a long season for us. We have a tough game Thursday. Will be difficult, difficult in Jamaica. So we have to be ready. It's not easy. We are playing every three, four days. We are tired. The squad is not too long. We have some injuries, but we keep going forward. In football, we have two ways: excuses or results. And we have to choose results," he added.
Inter Miami are 1-0 down in the CONCACAF Champions League against LAFC. The Lionel Messi-led side will host the Western Conference side on Wednesday (April 9) in the second leg.
