The “This Is Football” doc has great segment of Pep Guardiola watching his Barcelona game tape and adressing idea that Messi walks lazily around the pitch:
“He’s walking. That’s what I like the most. He is not out of the game, he’s involved. He’s moving his head. Right, left, left, right. He knows exactly what is going to happen. But his head is always…moving.
He’s not running, but he’s always watching what’s happening. He smells where are the weak points in the back four. After 5-10 minutes, he has the map in his eyes…in his brain to know exactly where is the space and what is the panorama.
It’s like being in the jungle and I have to survive. And he knows if I move here or here, I will have more space to attack."