Mauricio’s ‘Unfair’ Treatment of Messi
Lionel Messi was included in PSG’s starting lineup for the match with Olympic Lyon at the weekend. He spent 76 minutes on the pitch before making way for Achraf Hakimi. Paris Saint Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino subbed off Lionel Messi in the game against Lyon. Just 15 minutes into the game, when the score was locked at 1-1, Mauricio decided to withdraw Messi.
However, Messi’s reaction to being subbed off was clear. He was visibly irritated with the decision. As he headed to the reserve’s area, he even snubbed the handshake from Mauricio. Apparently, Messi and Mauricio are not on good terms post being substituted at the weekend. You can watch the video of Mauricio Pochettino explaining why he withdrew Messi from the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzNpX_Idzr4
In his explanation, Pochettino said, “In order to explain, on the sidelines we observe all the players and everything that is happening during games. We saw that Leo Messi was checking his knee and made some gestures. We saw that when he took a shot.” Talking about Lionel Messi’s performance in the game, he said “I was pleased with his performance. He did very well in the first half. I am pleased with his commitment and performance. All that was missing was a goal.”
Jerome Rothen Blasts on Pochettino
Jerome Rothen who is a former Parisian’ winger believes that Mauricio made a mistake with his treatment of the player. Jerome said, “Since he arrived, he always leaves Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on the pitch, even when they are bad”. He feels that Mauricio Pochettino’s treatment of Lionel Messi is different than PSG’s other two superstars. Additionally, Jerome said that Mauricio made a ‘serious mistake’ in withdrawing Messi from the game.
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Messi will be on the Sidelines
Lionel Messi is set to spend some time off the ground after picking up a knock in the 2-1 victory over Olympic Lyon on Sunday. PSG has confirmed their attacker will be unavailable in their next Ligue 1 clash with Metz due to his knee injury. reportedly, there is also news claiming he could be off the ground in games against Montpellier and Manchester City next week.
Since Lionel Messi’s switch to PSG, he is still waiting for his first PSG goal. He has been unable to find the back of the net in his three appearances for the Parisians so far this term.
