Tata Martino explains why Lionel Messi sat out the US Open Cup final

Tata Martino explained why Lionel Messi did not play in the final

Lionel Messi could not recover from his right hamstring discomfort and watched the final that Inter Miami lost to Houston Dynamo for the US Open Cup from the stands. La Pulga regretted the defeat of his team that fell 2 to 1 at the DRV PNK in Miami, filled with 20,000 spectators and with the illustrious presence of the president of FIFA himself, the Swiss Gianni Infantino, and the famous French coach, Zinedine Zidane, among others.

Of course, one of the most recurring questions that was asked to Gerardo Martino in the press conference after the match was focused on the absence of the Argentine captain. Regarding this, the Inter Miami coach explained: “It was not wise for him to play, it is clear. Not even to consider it for a few minutes because we were at risk. Yes, he will surely play before the League ends. Starting with the preview of today’s game, we will go game by game defining the situation at the moment when the medical department informs us that he is fit to play.”

Sep 27, 2023; Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA; Inter Miami CF head coach Gerardo Martino looks on before the game against the Houston Dynamo at DRV PNK Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Without further details about the muscular problems suffered by the Argentine star, Tata pointed to the physical wear and tear of his squad, which has had a string of important games that caused, in addition to the logical fatigue due to the grind, injuries to key players. “I saw a worn-out team, this is reality. Then the consequences that a worn team has, one can see it from the point of view that we are physically bad, others from the tactical point of view, and the reality is that at some point we were going to suffer the consequences of so many games. We began to feel them with injuries and from the performance side, any start from a rival player surpassed our lines, any divided ball was won by the rival,” Martino acknowledged about the great first half of Houston Dynamo.

Messi’s reactions in the US Open Cup final

Regarding the reaction that was seen in Inter Miami in the complement, the Argentine coach attributed it to the drive and desire to want to reverse the result than to the proposal itself. “What happened in the second half is not a product of the changes, but of the character of the team that loses a final at home and wants to turn it around. But we were also exposed to a counterattack with two good passes, as happened to us in the first half, they made us the third. One leaves with the idea that what happened to us in the second half could have given us a tie, but the reality is that we didn’t deserve it. Obviously it would have been welcome to go to extra time, but the reality is that Houston was superior to us.”

To finish, Gerardo Martino referred to the search to fight all the fronts that are presented to him, but at the same time he asked to remember how the team was before his assumption as coach in the middle of this year, especially the arrival of Lionel Messi and the key matches that made them win. “We are not talking about a coaching staff that started in January, we are all just finishing assimilating the change, but we all liked to see what happened along the way. We were also delighted but along the way there were situations that, due to the genius of a footballer, did not put him in the race, in others he won a decisive match. We cannot lose sight of that, we lack functioning, yes, a lot.”

Resumen Inter Miami vs Houston Dynamo

“The only thing we needed was to get the players back to play the next game and this has its consequences. We have the squad we have and three races to play, we decided to play all three. We could have opted for one and perhaps we would have had a different result, but it is a sin that a team that has many important players resigns itself to betting on only one thing. I never thought about this in my entire life. We knew that this could happen and it was logical that it would happen, we are all pretending that a team that three months ago was wandering around some places, today has a performance that we cannot have. At first it was a team that offered answers but we were physically fresher. In the last part we are playing practically all decisive matches and that takes a physical and mental toll. Now we have the League left, let’s try it and a final on Saturday and Wednesday, with a trip to Chicago and the circus continues. There is nothing to complain about and we will continue trying,” he concluded.

As Tata Martino stated, Inter Miami will play again this Saturday at home against New York FC for matchday 35 of the MLS. With four dates remaining, the Florida team has 32 points and is five away from the playoff spots, although the Tata team has a game in hand.

2023-09-28 05:06:00
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