PSG: Leo Messi, the serial scorer has turned into a servant

It was legitimate to expect an orgy of goals from Lionel Messi. To imagine the man with 672 achievements in the Barcelona jersey piling up the pawns at PSG. The Argentinian is still taking his striker costume out of the closet. The start of 2022 has not really reversed the trend of its first months in the capital. There was this little dive against Lille to remind us that he was still an outstanding finisher. His second goal in Ligue 1 only. But Messi is decisive otherwise. He has been in every league game since the start of the new year.

The series continued against Saint-Etienne last weekend. Messi didn’t score. But he was the last passer on Kylian Mbappé’s two goals. Two caviars that bear his mark. A marvelous opening of timing to take back all the Etienne defense on the first. A small ball slipped after a series of dribbles whose Argentinian has the secret on the second. Messi is now five consecutive Ligue 1 matches with at least one assist on the clock. And is now at the top of the classification of passers in the championship, tied with his teammate Kylian Mbappé (10 assists each).

Towards a first?

That Messi shines in this area is nothing new. The Argentinian had compiled 303 assists in 778 matches in all competitions in the shirt of Barcelona before landing in Paris. This creative quality passed relatively in the background as he first distinguished himself in the finish at Barça. His last season in Catalonia went in this direction. The 14 assists were less than the 38 goals scored in 47 matches in the 2020-21 financial year. As the 7 small goals scored at PSG are even more visible than his 11 assists. Matter of habit.

Never has Messi finished a season with more assists than goals scored. This may be a first that will reflect how the context is not the same in Paris as in Barcelona for the Pulga. He was clearly the first option in finishing at Barca. Last season, he was the second player who hit the most in La Liga (5.6 shots per game) behind Karim Benzema. And by far the one who shot the most at Barça, ahead of Antoine Griezmann (2 shots per game). In L1, he is still the second player to take the most shots per game (3.6). But he hits less. And above all, it is now a teammate who is ahead of him in the standings: Kylian Mbappé (4 shots per game).

Mbappé’s quarterback

Having the Frenchman by his side is a huge game-changer for Messi. The Argentinian is no longer the man sought to conclude the actions as at Barça. Mbappé plays this role in Paris and the Pulga easily made him their first target to talk about his remarkable qualities as a passer. Like a quarterback looking for his favorite receiver in an American football team. The connection pays off. Messi is thus four assists delivered to Mbappé this season in Ligue 1. No duo is doing better in the French championship at present.

But the phenomenon does not stop at the duo he forms with Mbappé. Messi is at PSG to play others in general. He prioritizes the pass before the shot. The Argentinian is in particular the player who has managed the most passes in the opposing area in Ligue 1 (59), while he has only played 16 matches over the first 26 days. Through the pass, the dribble or the fouls caused, he is also the one who is at the origin of the greatest number of shots per match (7.18) in the championship of France according to the site fbref.com. He does not carry the thrust, but he is the one who plants the fatal banderillas.

He donned the costume of Neymar

Messi adapted his role depending on the context. Not only the presence of Mbappé to fulfill the tasks of finisher. Also the clear decline in influence of Neymar. The Brazilian is going through the trickiest season of his career and has missed three months of competition through injury. Beyond his starving statistics compared to his standards (4 goals and 4 assists in 17 matches in all competitions), the Brazilian does not manage to fully regain this passing accuracy which allowed him to make the difference on the approach. of the zone of truth. Paris has found in Messi a player capable of taking over in this area. And to play this role to perfection.

In the end, he only lacks the goals. Messi remains less effective in his shots at PSG than at Barcelona. He is also the victim of a glaring lack of success with seven amounts touched since the start of the season, a record in the five “big” championships. This partly explains why his goal counter is taking so long to take off. But that of assists has soared since the start of the year. The proof that the Argentinian has made his mark in the collective of Mauricio Pochettino. Not in the finisher role he might have been expected to. But that of the servant suits him very well too.