Lionel Messi’s free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain was expected to bring plenty of trophies as he joined Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. However, the team did not do much in Europe under Mauricio Pochettino, who explained why they did not work well together during the 2021-22 season in a conversation with The Overlap. Pochettino said: “Messi […] Lionel Messi’s free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain was expected to bring plenty of trophies as he joined Neymar and Kylian Mbappé. However, the team did not do much in Europe under Mauricio Pochettino, who explained why they did not work well together during the 2021-22 season in a conversation with The Overlap.
Pochettino said: “Messi wanted to build from the back, slowly, with combinations and passes. Because he has the quality to dribble past one, two, three opponents. But if we played for Mbappé, we could not play for him.”
The manager added more about the French forward’s style of play: “If we were deep and won the ball back, Mbappé looked for space. It was about giving him the ball so he could run. When we played for Messi, Mbappé used to tell me, ‘My ability is to run, but I cannot.’ Neymar wanted to play with the ball.”
The star trio was not a good experience
Domestic trophies are expected at Paris Saint-Germain. They are more of an obligation than a goal, which was reflected in the club’s decision to fire Pochettino after just 18 months in charge. During his time with Messi, Neymar and Mbappé, they only won Ligue 1.
Pochettino managed Paris Saint-Germain for a year and a half (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The main reason for replacing the manager was their performance in the Champions League, the obsession the club had until it finally conquered the competition under Luis Enrique, after losing to Real Madrid in the round of 16 in a tie they controlled for much of the time.
Pochettino had guided the team to the Champions League semifinals in his first year after arriving in January, eliminating Barcelona and Bayern Munich before losing to Manchester City. His trophies with the club were one Ligue 1 title, one Coupe de France and one Trophée des Champions.
Messi, Neymar and Mbappé’s numbers under Pochettino
The trio did not have the best year collectively when they came up against stronger rivals. Their individual numbers also were not as good compared to other seasons. Messi played 34 matches, scoring just 11 goals. Neymar played only 38 matches and scored 13 goals. Mbappé was the best of the three as the younger player, with 46 matches and 39 goals.