Kylian Mbappe has told PSG how they can get the best out of Lionel Messi.
The Argentine moved to Paris over the summer and had a rather slow start to life in the French capital, with Messi not registering a goal or assist in Ligue 1 until the 20th of November.
Now, after a slow start, Mbappe has suggested that Messi is much better when used through the middle: “It’s better when Leo is in the middle? Yes, but I’m not the coach.
“Leo is a player who needs to be on the ball, to feel the game and the match to be involved. I think it’s a good position for him, he’s free, he can move around and take off.
“Me, I can play everywhere. I started in the middle, then on the right and now on the left but I still have a certain freedom in my movements.”
Lionel Messi stars vs Lille
And a case could be made that Mbappe is very much right.
When Lionel Messi bagged three assists in PSG’s 3-1 win over Saint-Etienne, he was being used through the middle.
Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain has had a mixed time in Ligue 1 to date. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
The Argentine then provided an assist for PSG when being deployed through the middle against AS Monaco.
And, more recently, when PSG saw off Lille this past weekend, Messi would provide one goal and one assist when utilized as a false-nine alongside Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria.
But with Neymar due to return in the coming weeks, how will Mauricio Pochettino fit both Messi and Neymar into the same XI without negatively impacting one player’s ability to perform?
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