This is undoubtedly the topic of the day this Monday, well beyond the result of the first shock of the season between the PSG and l’OL but also from the penalty to the turning point of the match that Gones blithely denounce: the premature exit of Lionel Messi, recalled on the bench by Mauricio Pochettino at the start of the last quarter of an hour had the effect of a bomb. As far as Spain, of course, and the borders of South America.

Some see it as the mark of an authority rediscovered in Paris and salute the courage of the coach of the capital club. But some people perceive above all a deplorable signal, if not problematic. This is the case of Jérôme Rothen, this Monday evening on the airwaves of RMC. “ There was a total misunderstanding. As we have seen, Lionel Messi wanted to stay on the pitch. Pochettino made his decision with his heart and soul. Where I find it completely inappropriate for Pochettino is that he has never been like that with the other stars of the team. Since he arrived, whether it was Neymar or Mbappé, he always left them on the pitch, even when they were bad. He always protected them. In terms of status and aura, Messi is far superior to Neymar and Mbappé. We are talking about Lionel Messi, the best player on the planet football, perhaps all generations! »

“The image is terrible”

And the former Parisian left-hander to add: ” When you have it in your squad, you have to manage it like the best player in the world. With all that it represents. It has a special status. We must avoid misunderstandings with your top player, especially from his first tenure at the Parc des Princes. It’s a big mistake from Pochettino, he should have left him on the pitch. I don’t know what he played. Did he want to mark his territory? I do not hope, because there he is completely crazy. You are going to put your best player on your back. It leaves traces, this kind of event. And the picture is terrible. Pochettino crashed there. »

Hot, at a press conference, Mauricio Pochettino justified this replacement at the expense of La Pulga: ” I think everyone knows that we have very great players, we have to make decisions, we have to make choices in relation to the group, in relation to the eleven. We have to make decisions for the good of the team. Sometimes decisions have positive consequences, sometimes not. I am here to make decisions. We have to make decisions, it may or may not please. “In defense of the Argentine technician, it appears that Messi, victim of a crutch at knee height, could not train today.

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