Luis Enrique, Barcelona Magically Make Lionel Messi Disappear

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When he has subpar performances- only one goal and two assists in a match, for example-critics are quick to call the slight dip in form a major issue and launch into speculation about club politics, the heavy weight of the Argentine's mantle and Cristiano Ronaldo's abs, for some reason (because we can't seem to go five minutes without mentioning CR7 in any discussion).

For someone like , who has the world media attention of a pop star and the additional responsibility of being a team leader and an ambassador for his sport, talk of that 1 percent failure can balloon in a hurry. It is for this reason that -the go-to guy for and Argentina, the magician who can single-handedly turn a game on its head, arguable the greatest player ever-needs to disappear.

Let me explain.

Against , Luis Enrique left on the bench in favor of an attacking trio of Pedro, Luis Suarez and . The -match formation suggested the Argentine would take his usual front-and-center position up top while being flanked by Pedro and Suarez.

When he plays centrally, it's easier to mark him and hand him off to other defenders when he sprints by the defensive midfielders. He picks up the ball deep and drives forward, looking to either score alone against multiple defenders or pass the ball off to a teammate in a less-threatening position on the wing, where one would be available.

was not built to barge through defenses down main street like . He was not built to muscle off burly (and pacey) midfielders on long runs like Gareth Bale does. We know it can be difficult for him to get free when a dogged defender like Pepe is strong-arming him in the midfield for the entirety of the match.

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

In other words, standing in the center-stage spotlight and announcing himself to all challengers is a surefire way to make his task more difficult than it has to be.

Let's go back in time a bit for some perspective. Teenage became legendary with quick little bursts of speed, slaloming dribbles in the offensive third and lightning one-twos with his teammates. He built his young reputation at Barcelona on the work he did out on the right wing while playing alongside , Thierry Henry and Samuel 'o.

With world-class talent like that sharing the attentions of defenses, could slip away from center stage and become a shadow until it was time to strike. With the likes of Suarez promising to be a world-class threat like 'o was in the middle, can now reprise the role that made him famous.

Coincidence? Maybe, but I'm running with it.

To be fair, might have scored a hat-trick against even if he were playing center-back, but it's the way that he scored his three tonight that is the revelation.

started out in the corner of 's eye and passed the focus of the play off to (who was in a very threatening position at the top of the box) so that he could momentarily disappear. Then (once forgotten by the panicking defense) the Argentine reappeared to score unmolested.

Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press

His second goal involved a zero-to-60 burst of speed out of nowhere, and his third was almost comically symbolic.

found himself well offside in the box when he was picked out by a teammate's cross. Being completely aware of his situation, he stayed perfectly still and let the ball run by to Pedro so as not to kill the play. Pedro crossed the ball, and a reactivated (i.e. now onside) sprung forward for the close finish. He went from man to ghost to man in a matter of seconds, and the result was a goal for his team.

He even pulled his disappearing act on defense, running back to steal the ball from Dani ' mark near the corner flag. Of course, no one would expect the Champions League's all-time leading scorer to put in grunt work to help his team on defense, which is why his steal was such an effective surprise.

Either way, thanks to tonight, Enrique has realized that the greatest trick of all may be making the little magician disappear.

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