today 13:24
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Argentine footballer Lionel Messi’s first half of the French Ligue 1 season did not turn out as planned. After a summer transfer from FC Barcelona, the 34-year-old striker took on the jersey of Paris St. Germain for eleven matches, in which he managed to stretch the opponent’s net only once – at home against FC Nantes (3: 1).
He has a better balance in the Champions League, in which he scored five goals in five matches. However, in the basic A-group table, PSG finished behind Manchester City and paid for it with a heavier eight-final draw. In the spring elimination, the French team will compete with the record European champion Real Madrid.
If the star-studded Paris wants to reach for the dream trophy, it has to add on all fronts in the second half of the season, and this statement also applies to Messi in terms of his productivity. The seven-time Golden Ball holder is still prominent on the pitch and his more difficult adaptation could be expected given how he spent his entire career in the same club from the age of 13.
Neymar and Kylian Mbappe lost the opportunity to score two more goals. Even with all these circumstances in mind, one goal is the unexpectedly weak business card of the top scorer in the history of the highest competition in Spain.
“Leo is a player with incredible talent. Even the best athletes in the world cannot avoid crises, although in Leo’s case it is a powerful word. I think it’s only a matter of time before it starts to blow. PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino defended his trustee.
An article that recently appeared in the British media certainly did not bring a good climate in the locker room. Messi’s vicinity allegedly questions the methods of Pochettin’s work and accuses him of being too complicated game tactics. Messi allegedly cannot fully express himself in PSG, the coach still failed to determine his tasks and he constantly uses him in various variations in the attack.
Mauricio Pochettino
Source: reuters
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“A club like PSG will always be the target of rumors and half-truths. They are part of our lives. They are trying to bring unrest to the functioning of our system, but I do not give up. I know the sun will rise after the storm.” Pochettino responded.
It is certain that the PSG offensive was particularly volatile in December, and statistics suggest that the absence of Neymar is largely to blame. Since the Brazilian’s member’s injury at the end of November, the team has played four matches in which they have drawn three times. Previously, with Neymar in the lineup, he achieved only one draw and 1 loss in 15 matches. In two 1: 1 results after the basic 90-minute time, the favorite lost and the point was saved by the players from the second sequence.
In the last match this year on the Lorient course (1: 1), together with Messi, the whole Argentine offensive three-carriage, which included Mauro Icardi and Angel Di Maria, suffered. At least the point was saved by the favorite only at the set time, when Icardi prevailed. A similar situation occurred on December 4 in Lens, where he scored in the 90th + 1 minute Georginio Wijnaldum.
A score of 4: 2 in four matches and only 6 out of 12 possible points is an unflattering business card of a team with overpressure players with extraordinary offensive skills. The French title and basically the triumphs in both home cups are a must for PSG. However, the measure of coach Pochettin’s success will be the team’s performance in LM. In the prestigious competition, the club, subsidized by Qatari capital, was closest to the overall victory in August 2020, when it lost to Bayern Munich 0: 1 in the final.
Last year, Parisians crashed in the semifinals of Manchester City. An early end in the eight-final against Real would be spicy for PSG, especially in connection with Messi’s career-wide rivalry. He has danced “white ballet” 45 times in over 15 years and scored 26 goals.
“We are at the top of the table in Ligue 1, even though some matches have not been good. We know where our weaknesses are and what we need to work on. The second part of the season is always crucial and I believe we will be well prepared for it. We will fight for four. fronts, but we have a wide enough staff, “ noted in an interview with the portal lequipe.fr. midfielder Idrissa Gueye.
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