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Former PSG midfielder Jerome Rothen believes Lionel Messi should not be spared criticism after his poor display against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
The Argentine looked a shadow of his usual self as he missed a penalty and failed to impact the game as per his usual standards.
PSG looked heavily reliant on Kylian Mbappe, and they later played with more incision following Neymar’s introduction in the second half.
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Rothen lambasted Messi’s form on the pitch and believes his past successes should not stop people from criticizing him following his poor displays at PSG:
“It’s far from being a success, Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain. It’s a false good idea. He’s the best player, perhaps, all generations combined that football has known. Nevertheless, I’m tired of hearing people say that we can’t criticize Messi.
“If you don’t win the match, you have an enormous frustration because Messi misses the penalty. A player like Messi, with the status he has, it’s tragic to miss a penalty; that’s the reality, even if it can happen to anyone. But him, compared to what he brings to PSG for seven months, he has no right. If he misses it, too bad for him, we are there to criticize.”
PSG were on top against Real Madrid despite Lionel Messi’s no-show
Lionel Messi nearly cost PSG the win after missing his penalty. His record from the spot isn’t the greatest, but he was given the responsibility of putting the Parisians in the lead.
Fortunately for PSG, Mbappe managed to break the shackles in injury time when he wriggled past two Real Madrid defenders to beat Thibaut Courtois.
Messi’s performance on the night left a lot to be desired. He dropped deep to try and create something because of Real Madrid’s low-block but failed to muster anything noteworthy.
The 34-year-old failed to add to the 26 goals he has managed against Real Madrid so far and will hope to make a bigger impact at the Santiago Bernabeu.
PSG will face Real Madrid in the return leg away from home on March 9 and will take a narrow 1-0 lead to the Spanish capital.
