"He always leaves Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on the pitch" - Jerome Rothen blasts Mauricio Pochettino for not treating Lionel Messi the same as PSG's other two superstars
Lionel Messi and PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino are apparently not on good terms following the player's reaction to being substituted at the weekend. Former Parisians' winger Jerome Rothen believes the tactician made a mistake with his treatment of the playmaker.
He explained: "There was a total misunderstanding. We saw it and Lionel Messi wanted to stay on the pitch. Pochettino made the decision in his heart and conscience."
Lionel Messi was left irritated after he was subbed in PSG's 2-1 win over Lyon and even snubbed Mauricio Pochettino's handshake.
In your honest opinion, do you think Poch was right to sub Lionel Messi? #TheGamePlan https://t.co/4R7vpjFCms
"Where I find it completely inappropriate on the part of Pochettino, it's that he's never been like that with any of the other stars of the team. Since he arrived, whether it was Neymar or [Kylian] Mbappe, he always left them on the pitch, even when they were bad."
"He has always protected them unlike the other players like [Angel] Di Maria, [Leandro] Paredes, [Mauro] Icardi. Then, Lionel Messi arrives, in terms of status and aura, Messi is much superior to Neymar and Mbappe."
"I don't know how he played. Did he want to mark his territory? I hope not, because there, he is completely crazy. We do not cry genius there. You're going to put your best player on your back. This kind of event leaves traces. And the image is terrible. He made a serious mistake. Pochettino crashed there."
🗣️ "Just come back home Leo."
🗣️ "This is the moment Pochettino lost his job."
🗣️ "I've never seen Messi look so furious."
Messi appeared to ignore Pochettino's handshake before storming to the bench. This is extraordinary... 😳
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Lionel Messi was included in PSG's starting lineup for the clash with Olympic Lyon at the weekend. The Argentine spent 76 minutes on the pitch before making way for Achraf Hakimi.
However, Leo wasn't happy with Mauricio Pochettino's decision to withdraw him from the game. He reacted by snubbing the tactician's handshake as he headed to the reserves area.
Lionel Messi to miss vital PSG fixtures due to injury
Lionel Messi is set to spend some time on the sidelines after picking up a knock in the 2-1 victory over Olympic Lyon on Sunday. PSG have confirmed their attacker will miss their next Ligue 1 clash with Metz this weekend. There are also reports claiming he could sit out games against Montpellier and Manchester City next week.
Lionel Messi is still waiting for his first PSG goal following his switch to the French capital this summer. The Argentine has been unable to find the back of the net in his three appearances for the Parisians so far this term.
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