Messi left out to fuel fans’ fury

NEWS filtered through early in the afternoon. After his face had been plastered across marketing campaigns, fears grew that Lionel Messi might not be involved.

To the disappointment of thousands of locals that was indeed correct. Messi, who had trained all week at the City Football Academy without issue, was ruled out with ‘muscle fatigue’.

And so those who spent £30 or above to watch the world’s finest, many of them families and constantly chanting his name after the break — blissfully unaware he was sat upstairs in Sergio Aguero’s executive box and not on the bench — may feel a little miffed.

In hindsight the adverts on local radio — ‘ come and watch Lionel Messi on Friday night’ — seem a little disingenuous. The hosts, Manchester City, were merely innocent bystanders.

There was no matchday programme and, given Argentina’s team sheet, a severe sense of dissatisfaction. The promoters, On Side, certainly have not endeared themselves around these parts. The argument from those inside Manchester City is that last night was organised on the hoof, hence the disappointing crowd. It did not feel like two heavyweights of the game going toe-to-toe.

But it really ought to have done. Argentina are at a critical stage, with huge question marks over how Jorge Sampaoli shoehorns their mass of quality into a coherent outfit.

Well, he has decided against it. For now, at least. Both Mauro Icardi and Paulo Dybala — of Inter Milan and Juventus and potentially heading for the Premier League — were left out of the travelling squad.

And Italy have not treated this fixture with the sense of seriousness you might expect. Gianluigi Buffon is back from retirement, laughing through his press conference. They are waiting for a permanent manager, with Luigi Di Biagio keeping the seat warm for the next incumbent, whom Italy hope is Antonio Conte.

The late Davide Astori was remembered with a minute’s silence before the first international since his death earlier this month. Buffon made a couple of smart stops before half-time, when Angel Di Maria and Marco Verratti, team-mates at Paris Saint- Germain, swapped shirts. It was that kind of evening, Willy Caballero’s international debut at the age of 36 was as noteworthy as it got until Ever Banega’s driven 75th-minute finish and Manuel Lanzini (left) hit a super lofted strike five minutes from time. The enduring memory, however, will be of Messi alongside Aguero — staying with City next week to continue rehabilitation on a knee injury — staring into the distance, looking cold. And, to be brutally honest, bored. Boos were heard at fulltime — and who could blame the dissenters?