Revealed: Why Messi was really replaced at half-time against Lille
Robin Bairner
- 30 Oct 2021 08:22 BST
- 5 min read
Lionel Messi continues to wait upon his first Ligue 1 goal for Paris Saint-Germain after appearing in five league matches.
While the Argentine is off and running in the Champions League following his August move from Barcelona, having struck against both Manchester City and RB Leipzig, his opening salvo in domestic football will have to wait at least another week.
On Friday, he suffered his most disappointing outing in PSG’s colours and was withdrawn at half-time of a match they ultimately won 2-1 against Lille.
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Messi's Lille woe
Naturally, the replacement of such a superstar at such an early juncture in a match has caused a great deal of interest, with negatively slanted headlines directed towards Messi.
The Barcelona legend would be the first to admit that he had a below-par performance, yet there is a simple explanation to his uncharacteristic display that many reports have overlooked.
In the entire build up to the match against the Ligue 1 champions, there was doubt over whether Messi would take any part in the game at all due to muscular discomfort. Indeed, it had been widely expected that he would be given a break for the game.
Perhaps it was the absence of Kylian Mbappe due to illness that persuaded head coach Mauricio Pochettino to deploy the half-fit attacker or perhaps it was Messi himself who believed he was capable of playing, but either way, it was a failed gamble.
Messi was indeed well off the pace. He barely managed to have a telling moment in the match, with his most memorable moment a free kick from long range that was skewed badly off target.
Nevertheless, the issue is not a persistent one.
“He’ll be available for the next match,” Pochettino affirmed after watching Angel Di Maria slide in a decisive late goal against Lille to give his side another unconvincing success.
Messi’s start at PSG has been disappointing, it’s true, but he deserves better than to face down criticism when barely half fit.
