Messi tunes his form for the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. Can he take on his former rival?

Lionel Messi leads his team to a 1:5 win over Lille in the 23rd round of Ligue 1. The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner scored a goal and an assist and was the central figure of the team from Paris.

Messi responded to critics

After the recent backlash over the form of living football legend Lionel Messi at the Paris club, the star Argentine has responded in his own way. In Sunday’s match at the stadium of the eleventh team in the French Ligue One, Messi featured in the starting line-up alongside compatriot Di Maria and Mbappé. The former Barcelona star responded to critics with a performance that resembled those he put on in sunny Catalonia.

Messi was the central figure in the match against Lille

Messi was in most of the action for the visitors, playing as has been his custom in recent years more from deep inside the box and posing a permanent threat to the home defence. Although Lille’s home side responded to Danilo’s 10th minute strike with an equalising goal, from then on it was all one team on the pitch.

Four minutes after the equalising goal, it was first the visiting defender Kimpembe who broke through after Messi’s corner kick. Then, after another six minutes, Messi himself kept his cool in front of the home goalkeeper and used a fine long-range shot to increase the gap to two goals.

In the second half, the team from the Park of Princes was already dominating the field and Messi was serving his teammates rounders like a football textbook. After successful goals from Danilo and Mbappé, the visitors enjoyed a convincing 5-1 victory. They thus consolidated their first place in the French league table with a lead of thirteen points over the second team from Marseille.

Pochettino:: Messi is the best player in the world

The coach of the guests Mauricio Pochettino did not hide his delight at the form of his compatriot after the winning match. “There is no doubt that Messi is the best player in the world,” he said at the post-match press conference. “Like everyone, a player like Leo needs time to adapt and to get into optimum physical condition”, he tried to reduce the pressure on his player. “It’s normal after a month of absence on the pitch,” he excused his form after the player underwent Covid-19.

What did Mbappé say?

It is hard to say what the Argentine’s teammate Kylian Mbappé has to say about the coach’s words about the best player in the world. He was considering a move to Real Madrid in the summer, where he would have been the league’s biggest star. But the management of the Parisian club brushed the situation off. Mbappé played more from the edge of the box in Sunday’s game. In fact, coach Pochettino is looking for the ideal position for Messi and it seems that the Argentine is most comfortable in the middle of the field.

“Leo is a player who needs to have the ball at his feet to get into the game”, the French sharpshooter said of his teammate. “I can play anywhere. I’ve played on the left, in the middle and on the right. I still have freedom of movement,” he said when asked by reporters if he minded switching positions according to the actual presence of his star teammates.

We’ll see how the team pedals when Brazilian Neymar returns. The Champions League eighth-final against the star-studded Real Madrid will be played on February 15!

Source:: Goal.com, Livesport