Javier Mascherano, head coach of Inter Miami, stated on Monday that extraordinary players like Lionel Messi should have the freedom to move and find spaces on their own to create plays and showcase their talent.

"Telling a player like Messi where he should receive the ball would be disrespectful. He’s managed to find spaces and move so well throughout his entire career that he doesn’t need instructions in that regard," he explained in a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s clash against Sporting Kansas City.

"The most important thing when you have a player like Messi is for the team to create the spaces he needs to move freely. From there, he makes us play. He sees the game in a unique way, completely different from everyone else," Mascherano added.

Inter Miami Aims to Secure Concachampions Progress

The team, featuring Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, will host Sporting Kansas City on Tuesday in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup first round. Inter Miami holds the advantage after a 1-0 win last week in Kansas City, thanks to a stunning goal from Messi in an extremely cold match, with temperatures near -15°C (5°F).

However, Mascherano made it clear that the tie is far from over: "A 1-0 lead means absolutely nothing. We’re preparing as if it were still 0-0. We can’t afford to sit back because football doesn’t work like a switch you can turn on whenever you want after playing passively for a while. That doesn’t exist in football. Our strategy is simple: we’re going out to win," he stated.