Paris Saint-Germain achieved a triumph over Lyon in Ligue 1 football match but new signee superstar Lionel Messi is upset as he was pulled out of the pitch in the second half. Messi is yet to score a goal in the French League. Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino has explained the reason Lionel Messi was subbed off during the Ligue 1 sixth-round clash against Lyon (2:1). The Argentine striker had to leave the pitch in the 76th minute.
“Everyone knows that we have a lot of very good players, with a squad of 35 people. We have to make choices, in the squad and then in the game, thinking about the best for the team and for each player. Sometimes the decisions are positive, sometimes they are not, but the coach is there, standing next to the bench, to make decisions. I asked Leo how he was doing, he told me he was fine, no problems”, – Pochettino told the press, RMC Sport reports.
Former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Jerome Rothen has spoken out on Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to substitute Lionel Messi. “The whole world is talking about it – more than Icardi’s goal or Neymar’s penalty. We saw that Lionel Messi wanted to stay on the field. Pochettino made that decision [to sub Messi off] being fully aware of the consequences. I think it was completely inappropriate for Pochettino, because he’s never been like this with the other stars in the team,” Rothen said, as per RMC Sport.
“Since he arrived, whether it was Neymar or Mbappe, he has always left them on the pitch, even when they were bad. He has always protected them. In terms of status and aura, Messi is far superior to Neymar and Mbappe. We’re talking about Lionel Messi, the best player in the world of football. And when you have him in your squad, you have to manage him like the best player in the world. He has a special status.”
“You have to avoid misunderstandings with your top player, especially from his first start at the Parc des Princes. Pochettino made a huge mistake, he should have left him on the pitch. I don’t know what he was playing. Did he want to mark his territory? He could only push his best player away. Pochettino screwed up on this one”.
