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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) boss Mauricio Pochettino has praised Lionel Messi for his hat-trick of assists against AS Saint-Etienne on Sunday.
The game ended with a 3-1 scoreline in favor of PSG. Messi assisted Marquinhos twice. Once in the dying minutes of the first half and then late in the second half. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner then assisted his national teammate, Angel Di Maria, in the 75th minute to take the lead over AS Saint-Etienne.
Speaking to the press at the post-match conference, Pochettino said:
“This is important. Leo is an incredible player. That he gives three assists is important too. It’s just a matter of time for him to score goals.”
Six-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi is being piped in as the favorite to win the 2021 Ballon d'Or as well. However, Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski and Chelsea's Jorginho are also being considered as the probable winners of the elite football award. The announcement of the winner of the 2021 Ballon d'Or will be made public on Tuesday in Paris.
PSG has failed to deliver in UCL despite having Lionel Messi, Mbappe and Neymar in team
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino is being criticized for not using former Barcelona legend Lionel Messi to his fullest. This comes as their poor run of form continues in the Champions League. PSG suffered a 2-1 defeat against EPL giants Manchester City in their Champions League group clash last week. They were completely dominated by the English club.
Former Manchester United striker Michael Owen has warned Mauricio Pochettino regarding the same. He said that PSG will fail to win titles if they keep on playing like they did against Manchester City in the Champions League. Speaking after the Manchester City-PSG game in the Champions League, Owen said:
“His (Pochettino’s) hands are tied. He can’t drop Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. Of course they are good enough but playing like that they won’t win the Champions League.”
Former Arsenal legend Thierry Henry also bashed PSG for their poor showing against Manchester City. He issued a warning that the Champions League cannot be won by such standards of performance.
Jamie Carraghar went on to say that former Tottenham Hotspur boss Pochettino would have to leave the club. Carragher said:
“Pochettino has to get out of the club. If he has the chance to go to Manchester United. I would be gone tomorrow and it’s because of those 3 stars”
