Lionel Messi made his feelings known to the head coach that he wasn’t happy with his decision to substitute him.
Lionel Messi was good and had put on a real show of quality in the first half. He was linking up perfectly with the likes of Neymar and Angel Di Maria but the PSG team still struggled to turn the screw against Lyon on a frustrating night at the Parc des Princes.
The away team took the lead as Lucas Paqueta scored a brilliant goal to shut the home crowd. PSG was quickly punished for their failure to score after creating several big chances in the first half.
Messi was very close to scoring his first goal as his free-kick bounced off the woodwork but still, his first PSG goal eludes him. Neymar converted his penalty to level the scoreline which gave the home team some hope.
The fact Messi was not on penalty duty perhaps highlights that he is not yet the top dog in Paris, where he is yet to find his feet. Pochettino then controversially subbed Messi with 15 minutes to play, much to the confusion of the home crowd as Archaf Hakimi replaced him.
The idea of changing Messi with 15 minutes to play didn’t sit well with Messi as the former Barcelona star said something and shook his head briefly when shaking Pochettino’s hand.
Mauro Icardi also came into the game and struck a dramatic winner at the death to ensure PSG win the big match. It is now six wins from six matches for PSG.
Things are yet to work perfectly for Messi since he completed his free transfer to France following his heartfelt decision to leave Barca. Messi and PSG were held to a bitterly frustrating draw in the Champions League in midweek against Club Brugge.
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Pochettino quickly came out to defend his star-studded attack’s underwhelming performance in Belgium, claiming he’s not expecting the poor showing to happen often.
We lacked solidity against Club Brugge,”
Pochettino said on Saturday ahead of the visit of Lyon.
“A less than ideal performance doesn’t mean that it will happen every match. It doesn’t mean it will happen again in the future.“ There is the possibility of trying different systems, but the changes depend on the form and needs of the players as well.”
