Why did Lionel Messi have a poor first season at PSG?
Follow Us
Last summer, Lionel Messi shocked the football world when he announced that he would have to leave Barcelona for PSG owing to the club’s financial constraints at a hurriedly planned news conference.
Messi’s debut at the Parc des Princes was expected to be the icing on the cake for the ambitious and well-financed French team, who already possessed incredible firepower in the form of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Many doubted how the Argentine striker would fit into a squad that was already so attacking, but the appeal of such a star-studded lineup drew football fans from all over the world.
Also Read: Finalissima 2022: Argentina vs Italy Preview, Team News, Possible Line-ups, Prediction
Did Lionel Messi make the wrong choice by moving to PSG?
A look back at Messi’s debut season in French football, over a year after his move to PSG, reveals that things did not go as planned. Despite the fact that the 34-year-old great has added a Ligue 1 championship to his trophy collection, the 2021/22 year may go down as one of Messi’s most disappointing to date. He ended the season with only 11 goals in 34 appearances which are highly ordinary for his standards.
Messi has only 0.74 goals and assists per 90 minutes of play for his new team so far this season. While it would be a decent return for most players, it falls well short of what the world has come to anticipate from the forward.
For example, in what was considered a terrible season with Barca last season, he averaged 1.12 goals and assists per 90, compared to 1.38 per 90 during the preceding five seasons with the Catalan giants. As a result, Messi’s numbers in this campaign are about half of what he was providing in Spain.
There could be various reasons for Leo having a poor season in Paris. Messi had always played in a Barca system before moving to Paris. Clearly, Argentine coach Mauricio Pocchettino changed his role and usually played him centrally.
Messi is comfortable playing behind the striker, dropping in type spaces, and creating the flow in the game. Messi was clearly seen struggling in PSG and could not adapt to the team’s system fully.
La Pulga has been criminally unlucky this season. He has struck the woodwork of the goal 10 times this season, which is more than any of the players in Europe’s top five leagues.
Stay Updated!
Ujan Chakraborty
(1240 Articles Published)