I DIDN’T cover the Copa America but it didn’t stop me watching on with intrigue as the tournament unfolded.

Unsurprisingly once again we saw Argentina progress through another competition to the final only to yet again come up just short, this time to hosts Chile on penalties.

It was not the only similarity to last year’s World Cup in Brazil, however, as the performance and influence - or perhaps that should be alleged lack of - from Lionel Messi has again reared its head as the hot topic of conversation.

After he managed just one goal, even the Barcelona striker’s grandfather Antonio Cuccitini waded into the debate by claiming the 28-year-old was ‘lazy’ and ‘bad’ in his country’s final three games. Next time Messi sees him at a family dinner he might be having a word!

While I wasn’t at the tournament this summer, I was at just about every match Messi took part in 12 months ago in Brazil and you can definitely say there are parallels between the two tournaments.

When you talk about him you are basically looking for him to take the game by the scruff of the neck, as we have seen him do so often in blue and red.

That is where I believe the answer lies. He is not playing with his Barcelona team-mates, and as good as Argentina are, the standard of player is not of the same quality as it is for him at club level.

Yes, you have Sergio Aguero, Angel Di Maria, Javier Pastore, Pablo Zabaleta and Javier Mascherano, who are all very good players, but none of them are superstars like Neymar, Xavi, Andres Iniesta or Luis Suarez.

As much as Messi is a magician, he needs those around him at times to help him conjure up some magic. He can’t always do it on his own.

It is also worth noting that it has been a long season for him and a lot of his team-mates. This factor cannot be underestimated.

All top players have gone from one season straight into a World Cup then back into another season and now the Copa America. Add in a run to the Champions League final and you could perhaps forgive Messi for not being at his peak. He is only human, although at times it is hard to believe it.

He is the best player I have ever seen. He will probably be the best player that this generation will ever come across, but maybe we do ask too much of him.

Don’t get me wrong, the criticism is understandable but ultimately I think it’s unfair.

As much as we all want to see a Messi in full flow, I was delighted to see Chile win it. Variety in South American football is a very good thing and it allows them to build on a very good display in the World Cup last year.

It is the first major trophy win on home soil and manager Jorge Sampaoli has built a team that really do have a belief about them.

Will they manage to hold on to their new crown, well, we will need to wait and see if Messi & Co. will have something to say about that.