![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/lionel-messi-absence-inevitable-as-inter-miami-boss-searches-for-solution/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/0_lionel-messi-1.jpg&description=Inter Miami head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino will limit Lionel Messi's playing time during the final stretch of the 2023 season but does not yet know the exact solution Inter Miami head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino acknowledged on Friday that it was "inevitable" he would bench Lionel Messi at least a few times this season. One of those scheduled rest days could come this weekend, when the club takes on the New York Red Bulls. "We will assess further after this evening's training," Martino said. "It is inevitable that we will not have him at some point." He added: "I understand the expectations the rest of the world has to watch him, and that is undeniable But I cannot act based on that, because then I would risk doing things wrong." Messi played all 120 minutes in Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup semi-final victory over FC Cincinnati. He also went the distance during last Saturday night's Leagues Cup final shootout win over Nashville SC. The 36-year-old must balance the desire to win a treble with the need to avoid injuries. The problem for Martino is that Inter Miami have little wiggle room in MLS. Bottom of the Eastern Conference, they will fall out of playoff contention with even the briefest of slumps. Their upcoming match against the Red Bulls is crucial because New York are one of the teams they must pass in the table to reach ninth place - the final spot that qualifies a club for postseason consideration. Right now, Inter Miami are 14 points below ninth, though they have played fewer matches than all of the teams above them. Martino has been pestered with questions about his approach to Messi all week, and the calls to give the World Cup winner a break intensified after his extended outing against Cincinnati. The forward assisted twice and converted his shootout attempt to lead a comeback victory. Afterward, though, he appeared exhausted. For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US. "This will happen (giving Mes){kind=link}
Inter Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino will limit Lionel Messi’s playing time during the final stretch of the 2023 season but does not yet know the exact solution
Inter Miami head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino acknowledged on Friday that it was “inevitable” he would bench Lionel Messi at least a few times this season. One of those scheduled rest days could come this weekend, when the club takes on the New York Red Bulls.
“We will assess further after this evening’s training,” Martino said. “It is inevitable that we will not have him at some point.”
He added: “I understand the expectations the rest of the world has to watch him, and that is undeniable But I cannot act based on that, because then I would risk doing things wrong.”
Messi played all 120 minutes in Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup semi-final victory over FC Cincinnati. He also went the distance during last Saturday night’s Leagues Cup final shootout win over Nashville SC. The 36-year-old must balance the desire to win a treble with the need to avoid injuries.