Martino RefusesTo Rule Messi Out Of Mexico Friendly

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has not yet been ruled out of Argentina's friendly against Mexico in September.

Lionel Messi has not been ruled out of Argentina's friendly against Mexico in Texas in September, according to coach Gerardo Martino.

After Messi led Argentina to the Copa America final in Chile in June, the Barcelona star indicated he wanted a short break from international duty after being criticised for failing to end his nation's major trophy drought, which extends back to 1993.

Messi Is On Incredible Form This Year - Tata Martino

'Tata' Martino spoke about the incredible form that Leo Messi is currently displaying.
The Argentine was quick to point out that Messi has found his best form since the start of the year.

With little over a month left until the Copa América gets under way, Martino gave an interview to Argentine publication 'Diario Popular' in which he remarked that Messi is "a complete player, who understands just what the team needs at different times and blessed with the skill to provide the boost it needs at just the right moment."

Argentina Can Win Copa America Under Tata Martino - Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has set his sights on sealing Copa America success with Argentina after they thrashed Hong Kong 7-0 on Tuesday. The Argentina captain made a half-hour cameo at the Hong Kong Stadium, but still managed to score two and set up another.

Gonzalo Higuain and Nico Gaitan also managed to bag a brace apiece, while Ever Banega opened the scoring for the visitors. Gerardo Martino, Messi's former coach at Barcelona, took the reins from Alejandro Sabella after Argentina's run to the World Cup final this year.

Am Proud To Be Argentina's Coach Says Tata Martino

Gerardo Martino says he is "proud" to take over as coach of the Argentina national team.
Martino takes over as coach of the World Cup runners-up just a few months on from departing Barcelona after just one season in charge at Camp Nou.

The 51-year-old was announced as the replacement of Alejandro Sabella as national team coach on Wednesday and was unveiled at a press conference on Thursday, where he spoke of his pride at taking over. Martino's first game in charge will be a World Cup final rematch against Germany in a friendly on September 2.

"I'm proud to be in this role and I must thank the Argentine Football Association for having the confidence in me to give me this job," he told reporters.

Tata Martino Quits Barcelona After Disapointing Season

Barcelona have confirmed coach Tata Martino has left the club by mutual consent.
The Argentine only took over last summer but has failed to land a major trophy in what has turned into a year to forget for the Catalan club.

Barca’s last hope of silverware disappeared with Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Atletico Madrid. They went into the final-day contest needing a victory to land the Liga crown on a better head-to-head record than Atleti.

All appeared to be going to plan when Alexis Sanchez put them in front in the first half but Diego Godin’s towering header at the start of the second denied the hosts.

PIQUE: Blame The Players For Barca's Failures Not Martino

Gerard Pique has leapt to the defence of Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino by admitting it is the players and not the Argentine who are to blame for their recent struggles.

The Catalan club were knocked out of the Champions League quarter-finals two weeks ago, before a late Gareth Bale goal saw them lose 2-1 to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final last week.

Barca are also four points behind league leaders Atletico in the Primera Division, but Pique says it is the fault of the squad for their failure to reach the levels of previous seasons.

Uncomfortable Martino Set To Leave Barcelona

The rumours had been rife long before Barcelona were dumped out of Champions League by Atletico Madrid and lost a crucial La Liga match at Granada, all in the space of four days.

Both Sport and AS report today that Tata Martino will definitely leave Barcelona at the end of the season, even if the Catalans win the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday against Real Madrid and somehow claim the La Liga title.

Martino is not comfortable at Barcelona and the board are not satisfied with how he has failed to re-energise an ageing team.

Tata Martino`s Relationship With Players Suffers Setback

Gerardo Martino is fully aware that his Barcelona side needed new options in order to keep going. That's why he tried to make his team play a more direct style of football, one that used the long ball or quick counter-attack as an option.

This bordered on sacrilege. Public opinion erupted in protest and he was forced to take a step back. At that time results were going the team's way.

However, that hasn't been the case for a long time. Their results aren't the worst thing at the club. The worst thing is the sense of apathy transmitted by the team, of not caring, of impotence and of over-confidence. An attitude that the coach doesn't like one little bit.

BARCELONA: Tata Martino In Trouble As Title Hope Keeps Declining

Last weekend the Spanish title race seemed to have swung decisively back in the favour of Barcelona. A win at home against Almeria as routine as could be expected was preceded by a draw in the Madrid derby that did neither Real nor Atletico any favours. It's a very different picture this weekend as Barca, in as meek a fashion imaginable, had their grip on La Liga's trophy loosened as a result of a 1-0 defeat by Real Valladolid. 

This was not a Liga dark-horse they were visiting; this was as close to a guaranteed three points for Barcelona as exists in the Spanish top flight. Eight straight wins against Valladolid came before this fatal blunder at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla, where they won 3-1 last season. But Barcelona never looked likely to take the full share of the points from the first whistle to last as Juan Ignacio Martinez's expertly drilled outfit not only threw Barca's title charge off course but also gave themselves a vigorous boost in their quest for survival.