Jordi Alba has issued his verdict on how Inter Miami will perform in the coming weeks with Lionel Messi away at the Copa America.
The 36-year-old could miss as many as six MLS games for the Herons with Messi set to captain Argentina in what might be the Inter Miami attacker’s final international competition.
With Luis Suarez also expected to depart for the Copa America with Uruguay, Inter Miami’s attacking options will be gutted with the Florida franchise without two of their best players for potentially all of June and July.
And Alba has now given his verdict on how Inter Miami will cope without Messi.
Alba predicts Inter Miami to compete without Messi this month
Speaking to the press after Saturday’s 3-3 draw against St. Louis City SC, the former FC Barcelona star claimed that Inter Miami will be fine without Messi, with Alba noting how impressive the Herons looked recently against the Vancouver Whitecaps without the Argentine.
Indeed, Inter Miami have shown they can get good results with Messi in the squad, and the next month will push the Herons to their absolute limit given how many games the reigning Ballon d’Or holder will miss.
Alba said when asked about Messi leaving for the Copa America: “He is a vital player for us, but the team will compete without him. We will do our best to make it as invisible as possible, and we will be hoping he does very well at the Copa America.
“Even without him, we will continue to fight, and we will compete as we have done up until now. We showed against Vancouver that this team can compete, we gave it our all, so we will hope to repeat these sort of performances in the coming weeks.”
Herons have to show they’re not over reliant on Messi to win games
Inter Miami are statistically worse off whenever Messi isn’t involved in the matchday squad, yet this fact should be used as motivation for the Herons to put on some impressive results in the weeks to come.
Tata Martino’s squad beyond Messi and Suarez is still one of the best in MLS and a side that can beat any team in the division on their day, with Robert Taylor and Leonardo Campana worthy replacements.
And in the coming weeks, Inter Miami will want to show what they’re capable of without Messi, with these next few games crucial in how the Florida franchise will do in their bid to win MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield.