[wolf78]

Why no Messi? Passing the ball to him is almost like scoring a goal already.

So far Messi was mostly used as a substitute, which kind of also makes sense against Germany. If the German team has one thing going for them it's their great physical fitness. So far they have been hardly breaking a sweat when the English were already puking from exhaustion (ok, I exaggerate *LOL). Having Messi as a joker for, say, the last half hour might prove the better idea than wasting him during the first half so he's out of breath when it really counts.

[Eurotwit]

Messi is one of my favourite players, but he has been at his best this World Cup coming in as a sub. In his only starting game he was average.