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Former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) winger Jerome Rothen has advised manager Christophe Galtier to shift to a three-man midfield to best utilise the trio of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
The Parisians were held to a 1-1 draw at Benfica in their third UEFA Champions League Group H match of the season on Wednesday (October 5). After Messi opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, Danilo Pereira turned the ball into his own net four minutes before the break.
Neymar continued his explosive run of form in Lisbon as he provided the assist to the Argentine's goal. Mbappe, on the other hand, failed to score in his third European start of the season.
Speaking to After Foot, Rothen claimed that PSG should revert to playing three midfielders behind their much-vaunted offensive troika in order to lift the UEFA Champions League trophy. He said:
"If you want to win the Champions League with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe on the field, you absolutely have to go back to three in midfield and transfer a defender to go to four at the back."
Galtier, who joined the Parisians from Nice ahead of the 2022-23 season, has opted for a 3-4-2-1 setup with the two South Americans operating as creative outlets. He has opened his new coaching chapter on a positive note, registering 11 wins and two draws in 13 matches.
Despite being held to a 1-1 draw at Benfica, PSG are unbeaten in their UEFA Champions League group with two wins and one draw in three matches. They are currently atop the Ligue 1 standings with 25 points from nine matches.
Meanwhile, Messi has registered eight goals and as many assists in 13 appearances across all competitions this season. Neymar has contributed 11 goals and nine assists in 13 games, while Mbappe has netted 11 times in 11 matches in the ongoing campaign.
PSG are next scheduled to lock horns with Stade de Reims at the Stade Auguste Delaune in a Ligue 1 contest on Saturday (October 8).
Kaka names his favourite among PSG's Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar
Speaking to MARCA, former Brazil player Kaka asserted that he relishes watching PSG superstar Neymar more than anyone else. He said:
"I don't know if it's because we have a great personal relationship but I love how Ney plays. Of course, I like to see others like [Kylian] Mbappe, [Lionel] Messi, Cristiano [Ronaldo] or Vinicius Jr., but I’ll stick with Ney. He is going to be the leader of Brazil in Qatar 2022."
Brazil have been drawn in Group G alongside Serbia, Switzerland and Cameroon. The first-ever winter FIFA World Cup kicks off on November 21, with the final set to be held on December 18.
