PSG 3-1 Nantes: 5 Talking points as Messi ends league goal drought in hard-fought win | Ligue 1 2021-22

#3 PSG are still not operating at the desired level

PSG recorded their 12th Ligue 1 win of the season.

PSG continued their winning ways against Nantes, but it was not a particularly convincing win for the Ligue 1 giants. They looked disjointed at times, and there was no rhythm between their defence and attack.

Paredes, Marco Verratti, and Idrissa Gueye did their job well. But they were invariably on the lookout for Messi or Mbappe, and did not display much creativity in the middle of the park. Nantes exposed the PSG defence quite often, and hosts' the defenders struggled to contain incoming crosses.

It was a win on the night, but PSG were not the unstoppable unit they should be, considering the players at their disposal.

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#2 Messi and Mbappe starting to link up well

Messi and Mbappe combined for ten of PSG's 14 shots against Nantes.

It is one thing to have three elite attackers in your starting lineup and a completely different thing for them to operate as single unit. With different attacking styles but the same desire to find the back of the net, Messi, Mbappe and Neymar have taken their time to get going.

With seven assists and as many goals, Mbappe has managed to deliver performances. Meanwhile, Neymar and Messi are yet to unleash their full potential.

Messi operated in a deeper role against Nantes, with most of his six shots coming from near the edge of the box. Mbappe had four shots, and he also picked up the assist for Messi's first league goal in French football.

It looks like the duo has begun to hit off. Their different styles of play might work wonders, complementing each other well.

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#1 Lionel Messi scores his much-awaited first Ligue 1 goal

Messi forced an own goal before finally breaking his league drought for the campaign.

After drawing blanks in his first five games, Lionel Messi bagged his first league goal in a PSG shirt. It was a thing of beauty, and definitely worth the wait.

With PSG leading 2-1, they launched a quick counter-attack. With Mbappe having the ball at his feet, it took them no time to advance into the final third. He placed the ball into Messi's path. The Argentinian took a touch to open up some space before placing a perfectly weighted shot into the bottom-left corner of the Nantes net.

With that goal, he has now four goals for PSG, with three coming in the UEFA Champions League. He looked dangerous tonight, and had four shots on target, and an earlier attempt led to an own goal in the 81st minute.