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What's the story?
Arsenal academy manager and former Germany international Per Mertesacker has revealed the tactics that Joachim Low used to stifle Lionel Messi's efforts in the FIFA World Cup in 2014.
In case you didn't know...
Messi is often criticised for his inability to inspire his national team to a major title in the same way he does with Barcelona and many have insisted that this shortcoming disqualifies him from being the best player of all time.
The Barcelona and Argentina captain came very close to winning the coveted international title in 2014 when his home country locked horns with Germany in the final, but was undone by a last-gasp strike from Mario Gotze.
Mertesacker was a part of Germany's FIFA World Cup winning squad and has revealed some tactical secrets Die Mannschaft used to stop the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
The heart of the matter
Speaking to DAZN, the former Arsenal defender said (via Goal), "If Messi has the ball, he is fantastic to watch and difficult to stop. You have to double up on him, triple up on him even, stay with him constantly to block his way to the goal."
"Never tackle, never go down, we've heard it over and over again. You have to try to keep Messi away from the goal and block him with multiple players while being as close to him as possible. He is too quick, too fast, too intense with the ball."
The German continued, "You need good communication between the lines – I'd have to say to the number six 'Sorry, but now you have two opponents."
"In Argentina, they have never managed to combine the strengths of their defence and attack. The attack does their thing and the defence does their thing. We've [Germany] always managed to do that very well."
"You just get the feeling Messi never had full control. He won the trophy for the best player but not for the best team. [Not winning the World Cup] is maybe the only thing you can hold against him."
What's next?
Messi is all set to feature in the Champions League semi-final second leg between Barcelona and Liverpool at Anfield later tonight. The Catalan giants have a three-goal advantage going into the fixture and will hope to secure their place in the European final with an advantageous result.
