PIC: Carlo Ancelotti draws up tactical masterplan on how to (try and) stop Lionel Messi

Best laid plans.

Carlo Ancelotti has devised a tactical plan to stop Lionel Messi - almost a full year after it has stopped being his problem. The former Real Madrid manager admitted that it is near impossible to silence the Argentine - he would know - but that they did try a number of things to limit his effect. Then, of course, the problem becomes Neymar and Suarez. And Iniesta and Rakitic. And Busquets and Alves. And still Lionel Messi. Speaking with Sports.Sina.com, Ancelotti revealed how he sets his teams up to counter Messi - or at least to begin to try and counter Messi. "The best way to stop him is by defending as a team, keeping the space between the lines tight and not allowing him to touch the ball," Ancelotti stated rather ambitiously. "You need a lot of players in midfield to make that happen. That reduces Messi’s options and he will see less of the ball, at least in dangerous positions. "We know that he likes to cut in from the wing and get the ball onto his left foot. But the problem is that Barcelona have more weapons than just Messi. If you focus on Messi, their other attackers can do the damage. "But if Messi is at 100 per cent physically, it is impossible to try to stop him, no matter who the coach is and what his strategy is. His enormous talent makes it nearly impossible to anticipate what he will do, so there is no way to keep him quiet." Image via Sports.Sina.com. It doesn't seem to work too much though. Messi, believe it or not, still has an affect on Barcelona's performances. And Real Madrid, believe it or not, have never been able to really stop him. Image via MessiNews.net.