Inter Miami were dealt a huge injury blow as star player Lionel Messi was withdrawn during their victory over Toronto.
It now appears that Messi will miss Miami’s next game against Orlando City, and could even miss the upcoming U.S. Open Cup final against Houston Dynamo.
Replacing the 36-year-old is a near-impossible task, and Finnish winger Robert Taylor has now found himself with the responsibility of trying to fill the void left by him.
Taylor Has now admitted that whilst replacing Messi is not something he can do, he will attempt to replace his goals up front if he does miss the next few games, and try his best to help Miami continue to win.
“I don’t think there’s much advice he can give on copying his play because no one can copy his play. I will try to do it again, but I won’t promise it,” he stated.
“It’s not like Messi, obviously. It’s very important. I mean right, it’s the most important player for us. But we have to play sometimes without them and it’s important for the rest of us to step up and bring in the results as well.”
Filling the void
Miami were unbeaten in 12 games before losing to Atlanta United whilst Messi was away on international duty. It is clear that he has a profound impact on the team and they do struggle in his absence. Before his arrival, Inter Miami were bottom of the league and struggling to score.
It is not just his presence on the pitch that Inter Miami will miss, as Messi also helps the players around him to improve. As Miami’s captain and star player, losing a player of Messi’s quality, particularly before a Cup final will be damaging.
Messi’s impact on Taylor has been particularly noticeable. Taylor was struggling in front of goal before Messi arrived, but scored twice against Toronto and has now scored eight times this season, most of which have come with Messi alongside him.
It is now down to Taylor to help fill the void left by Messi but this may bring extra pressure on the 28-year-old, and it remains to be seen whether Inter Miami can adapt to perform without him.