Messi - PSG's failed gamble

When signing for PSG, every player needs to accept the fact that the success or failure of the season will be determined by just a few matches at the beginning of the year. The championship of Ligue 1 and other domestic leagues is taken for granted and just a procedure, and the ultimate goal is always the Champions League.

"According to that frame of reference, it can be seen that Messi's two years in Paris have failed," commented British newspaper The Athletic. Losing to Bayern 0-3 in the end was a predictable outcome when PSG were easily subdued by a team with a much less famous attack than them, but playing football for the collective and placed in a unified block.

Messi can't show his familiar strengths, but the real problem lies in his weakness. At the age of 35, Messi cannot support PSG much without the ball, but this is common in a team that also includes Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Neymar usually only assists defensively for the first half hour. And Mbappe - the most dangerous striker in the world right now with high-speed dribbles - almost does nothing without the ball.

Messi's personal statistics are not bad, with 13 goals and one assist in 14 Champions League appearances with PSG. But the problem is that the Paris team has no shortage of goals or assists. What they need is energy and tactical compliance. Similarly, when Man Utd does not really need Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2021, PSG also does not need Messi too much. In fact, although both superstars shine individually, the collective achievements are not commensurate.

In the last two rounds of Bayern matches in the last 1/8 Champions League round, the rare time PSG showed the danger was when all three superstars were present on the field. It was in the second half of the second half of the first leg, and PSG were forced to bring the injured Mbappe on the field. Only bad luck prevented PSG from getting the equalizer, when VAR ruled Mbappe was narrowly offside in an attacking situation. But for an hour before that, PSG was like a tiger without claws, when Messi and Neymar were completely isolated from the rest.

In the second leg, where Neymar was absent due to a long-term injury, Messi chose to go deep and rarely coordinate with Mbappe - who proved to be the most dangerous whenever PSG flew a long ball from the back. A trend that can be seen from Messi's time at Barca, Argentina and PSG is that Messi always stays away from goal when the team is in trouble. It is not unreasonable for the best player on the team to try to participate in the game as much as possible and surprise the opponent, but in many cases, Messi makes it difficult for his teammates.

At PSG, coach Christophe Galtier often solves the problem by sending midfielder Vitinha to support Messi: if Messi goes up, he will go deep and vice versa. This raises other problems. Vitinha is not a threat to the opponent's defense, while Messi trying to fall back to become a playmaker accidentally stepped on Marco Verratti - another pillar of the team.

"Sometimes, Messi needs to trust his teammates with the ball and focus on receiving the ball where he can maximize his genius qualities. Going deep is risky if Messi doesn't have the ball. and almost disappeared from the game, but this gamble is still the optimal approach," commented The Atheltic.

Before Messi's arrival, PSG had made great strides in Europe, reaching the final of the 2019-2020 season and the semi-finals of the following season. After having the greatest player in history, they were eliminated twice in a row from the 1/8 round. In terms of sports, PSG has taken a step back with Messi in the squad, although in terms of image, bringing the Barca legend to the Parc des Princes is a big victory for PSG's Qatari owners.

The irony is that three superstars Messi, Neymar and Mbappe all dropped in form after the World Cup took place in Qatar itself. From the beginning of the season, the form and determination of these players have always been at a high level towards the World Cup taking place in the last two months of the year, and then gradually decreased after that. The World Cup 2022 with the classic final also leaves many lessons.

For those who witnessed it firsthand, the great battle between Argentina and France as well as the personal confrontation between Messi and Mbappe will remain in the minds of many years to come. The two stars shine brightly when given a free role in the team. The irony is that this formula only applies to one person per team, instead of two, or in the case of PSG, the three superstars all need the ball at their feet.

Imagine that there are only a few superstars in Paris Saint-Germain. They are surrounded by basic and diligent players who constantly exert pressure on their opponents and are supported by a firm defender. This may be a super club that has swept the European Cup. But in fact, PSG does not have a balanced team. In addition to these three superstars, their only remaining offensive player is 20-year-old striker Hugo Ekitic, who has been loaned to Lance. In the position of attacking midfield, Julian Draxler, Angel Di Maria and Pablo Salabia were all pushed away, because the main task of Paris Saint-Germain midfield is to defend and run to make up for the trio in attack.

Contrary to the unreasonable transfer policy of PSG, Bayern showed the elite with a deep squad. Two of the German team's three goals against PSG came from former PSG players Kingsley Coman and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting. The other goal was scored by Serge Gnabry - a substitute striker with other stars like Sadio Mane or Leroy Sane. In the opposite direction, PSG could not bring into play a factor capable of causing a corresponding mutation, partly because they had all their hands on gambling superstars.

After the recent defeat, Messi's reputation will not decrease. He has won the Champions League four times and in a few years, when it comes to the 2022-23 season, the football world will only remember the image of Messi lifting the World Cup gold cup and completing the collection of football titles. . The Argentine striker can extend with PSG for another year, because they are the only European giants who can now meet his salary needs. But when Messi retires, his memories will be most associated with Barca, followed by the glory of the end of his career with Argentina. PSG, if mentioned, will not be profound.

In December 2022, Messi entered the sacred temple of football wearing a Qatari shirt. But it is difficult for him to do the same at club level when wearing a shirt with the sponsor's name Qatar Airways on the chest.