Former Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti, has outlined his theory on how to stop Leo Messi in his column on 'Sina Sports'. "Man-marking Messi is very complicated. The defender marking him would have to be at a very high level. The best way to stop him is by defending as a team, keeping the space between the lines tight and not allowing him to touch the ball".
"You need a lot of players in midfield to make that happen. That reduces Messi's options and he will see less of the ball, at least in dangerous positions. We know that he likes to cut in from the wing and get the ball onto his left foot. The team have to mount a united front, remain focused and limit their mistakes. The midfielders need to keep him under pressure and try to stop him whilst he is still out wide".
The Italian coach is fully aware that, sometimes, there is nothing you can do to stop the Argentine star, even if you follow these instructions to the letter. "If Messi is at 100% physically, it is impossible to try to stop him, no matter who the coach is and what his strategy is. His enormous talent makes it nearly impossible to anticipate what he will do, so there is no way to keep him quiet".
Source: transfermarketweb.com