Reims has a special place in France, known as the "City of Kings", where a total of 25 kings have been crowned in history. Interestingly, Messi's debut after coming to Ligue 1, and his first appearance in 2022, was against Lance.
Although both were off the bench, Messi was clearly better prepared this time than when he debuted in Ligue 1. If it weren't for a little bit of bad luck, Messi, who played for half an hour, would have gained the passing credit. Even if he didn't get a score in the data, Messi played the most suitable half-hour game for himself after joining Paris.
01. Messi, who frequently takes the ball from the back: he shot 7-1 on goal after playing
Messi took over Paris's offensive advance almost as soon as he came on the pitch, and his retreat was very strong, coming to the center of the circle several times to pick up the ball, and then through continuous reception and taking the ball to instigate the launch of the attack. In the process, Mbappe and Verratti became Messi's best partners.
Although the Paris team-mates seemed unaccustomed at first, the first few rounds did not give the ball in time to the feet of Messi, who had found the right place. But in the end, it was time to come, and Messi played the wall he wanted after receiving the ball on the left flank.
Messi's range of activities in the game is expanding, through his own lateral movement, driving the opponent's formation change, finding the space exposed in the opponent's movement, and completing the sudden speed attack.
This wave of attacks can be said to be Messi implanted his offensive DNA into Paris. After this continuous collision with the wall, Mbappe got Messi to send a single shot to Icardi, who was inserted in front, but unfortunately the latter failed to grasp it.
It is clear from the GIF that this typical Messi-style attack has finally taken on some shape in the Paris Saint-Germain game. Mbappe has a good standard in receiving Messi, he always understands what kind of cooperation Messi wants, but Icardi wasted his chance.
02. Verratti becomes Messi's good partner: hit the wall and kick up!
In this game, Messi has a good partner in addition to Mbappe, that is, Verratti. In addition to bringing back 2 goals directly, Verratti also sent 2 key passes to his teammates that brought shots on goal, as well as 4 successes in 5 one-on-one matches. What is even more rare is that after Messi came out, the passing tacit understanding between Verratti and him made people look particularly happy.
In this wave of attack, Messi retreated to the back of the position to take the ball, and by cooperating with Verratti's collision with the wall, the Argentine king instantly gained a large space to advance. Unfortunately, the last straight ball was given a small force, and the 2 teammates who received it did not get the ball.
Messi's passing after his comeback did not feel particularly good, and there were many small mistakes with small strength. However, this time the cross to Verratti was just right, allowing the latter to go directly into the shooting process.
The goal was obviously beautiful, but the Ligue 1 officially believed that the break in the back was counted as a oolong ball, and Messi lost an assist that had already arrived.
Not only did he hit the wall to cooperate, Villati also did a good job in implementing high pressing and letting Messi counterattack on the spot after breaking the ball. Flexible, fast and passing, Verratti's pass was impressive after Passing Messi this time.
Of course, Verratti's problem is that his defensive coverage is not large, and he does not have much ability to chase back if he fails. But he has a lot of flexibility and excellent tackling skills. If the ball is in a relatively narrow range, Verratti's ability to grab consecutively is still very good. This time, even though Messi failed to break through, Verratti once again took back the ball.
This time it was a similar story, Verratti's upper steal was very beautiful, and Messi let the latter quickly enter the box. However, Verratti's forward thrusting was limited and could not take away the defender's attention, which also caused Messi to fall into a siege. At that time, Messi should probably have been more decisive and shot early.
03. Mbappe wanted to assist Messi: his teammates stole the scene
Messi has just returned in this game after all, and his personal condition is not very good. However, he still had the opportunity to score close to the goal in the game, and if it were not for his teammates and oolong stealing the scene, Messi would have scored 1 goal and 1 assist after half an hour of appearances.
The most dramatic scene of the match took place on Paris' fourth goal, when Mbappe forced a break from the flank and then sent a cross.
Almost everyone knows that when Icardi appeared on the penalty spot to take the attention of 2 defenders, Messi got an unguarded shot at the top of the arc of the penalty area, which was a "big pie" tailored for the Argentine. For Messi, such a shot is as easy as a penalty.
Unexpectedly, Messi had an extra black shadow in front of him, Pereira completed the shot with a somewhat strange movement, and at the same time that the ball entered the net, Messi became his background board.
Mbappe, who received the assist, looked confused, there was no smile on his face, only shock! This goal is obviously he is going to assist Messi!
Dressed in a Chinese-word messi shirt, the Argentine king was clearly eager to greet the fans with a goal. This time he lacked some luck, and the next time he returns to the starting Messi, he believes he will have a better chance.
Conclusion:
After playing for half an hour, goals and assists were so close but so far away. However, as long as the team adheres to the style of play and rhythm that Messi likes, I believe that goals and assists will come soon. Pochettino played something new on the tactical side of Messi's 2022 debut, and perhaps this will be the beginning of Messi's real integration into the team.