5 reasons why Lionel Messi has failed to hit the ground running at PSG so far

#3 A lot of football

So many matches played by the mercurial forward before his PSG switch

Lionel Messi had a very busy outing last season, carrying a mediocre Barcelona all on on his own. The Argentine barely had any time to rest, representing Blaugrana across the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey.

Leo made a whopping 47 appearances for the Catalan giants across all competitions during the campaign. But it didn't end there. The playmaker returned to the international scene this summer, where he led Argentina to claim the Copa America. It's worth noting that he featured in all of the Albiceleste's seven games in the tournament, recording four goals and five assists.

It was an insane number of games for the playmaker. Coupling that with the stress he had to go through when leaving Barcelona for PSG, it becomes easy to understand why Lionel Messi hasn't reached the top of his game.

#2 New league

Lionel Messi has noted there's a huge difference between La Liga and Ligue 1

Lionel Messi has had a difficult time adapting to football in the French league. Unlike La Liga, Ligue 1 is more physical and consuming, which has contributed to his recent physical deterioration at the Parc des Princes.

The Argentine recently compared his experience playing in the French top flight to the one he had back in La Liga and here's what he had to say:

"It [Ligue 1] is a more physical league, where the matches are split a lot, the back and forth game is played a lot, where there are strong and fast players. On a physical level, it changes a lot."

"In Spain, all the teams try to play a lot more, and it can steal your ball if you don’t press well. This is more hit-for-hit than waiting for you to hit the counter. The biggest difference is on a physical level."

#1 Lack of chemistry

PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino is still trying to figure out how to get the best out of Lionel Messi and co

It is quite a difficult task to fit Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the same attack. PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino is still trying to get the best out of his team - especially his star-studded forward line.

The Parisians now have several players who are just getting to know one another on the pitch. This is also just Pochettino's first year at the Parc des Princes and the tactician didn't have the opportunity to work with many of the players during pre-season.

It will certainly take some time before they become familiar with the coach's system and build a strong chemistry among one another on the field. Lionel Messi has shown significant improvements at PSG in recent weeks. By the time he fully adapts, there will be no stopping him.