This Sunday (8 p.m.), PSG faces FC Nantes on behalf of the Champions Trophy. In the absence of Kylian Mbappé, Leo Messi will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
PSG officially begins its season this Sunday at the Champions Trophy, which takes place in Tel Aviv (Israel). For this first title to conquer, Christophe Galtier will be deprived of Kylian Mbappé, suspended. The former Nice coach should therefore trust a trio made up of Pablo Sarabia, Neymar Jr and Leo Messi. La Pulga, for his second season with PSG, intends to give everything to silence the critics about him. His performances during the preparation meetings of the capital club were attractive and perhaps herald the start of something very positive for PSG. In this year of the World Cup, and having done all the preparation, the former Barça finds a lot of color.
Messi, a status to assume
PSG players warming up playing tag with Messi happier than ever. pic.twitter.com/slMDUuaSRE
— Gio NJR10 (@ArobaseNJRvanny) July 23, 2022
The Spanish press, via Brand, particularly welcomes it. Seen from Spain, we can’t wait to see the great Messi again on the side of PSG. Last season, the Argentinian had experienced a delay in ignition and his performance was not always convincing. In 33 games played in all competitions, Leo Messi had only scored 10 goals and provided 14 assists. In addition to statistics not necessarily up to his talent, his placement in the field under the Mauricio Pochettino era also raised questions. The former Tottenham man tended to put Messi to one side which didn’t make the most of his current strengths. Everything will change from this point of view with Galtier, who will evolve next season in 1-3-4-1-2. And in this system, Leo Messi will be the playmaker, in the position of number 10. In front of him, he will have Mbappé and a Neymar who seems found and happy for a few months now. This Sunday, Messi will nevertheless have to do without Mbappé. But his association with Neymar, and also Pablo Sarabia, is promising. This match against Nantes could therefore indeed launch the adventure of the Pulga at PSG. In the event of an accomplished season, it would not be so delusional to imagine him activating the option of an additional year included in his contract to continue in the capital until 2024, despite Barça’s interest. Suffice to say that the changes of the summer and the departure of Pochettino are not synonymous with trauma for La Pulga.
Wesley Fofana, PSG ready to try his luck?
Following this Champions Trophy, and regardless of the result of the latter, PSG will start again on the transfer window. And one of Luis Campos’ priorities remains to strengthen the defense of the champions of France. In this sense, Milan Skriniar is expected. But Inter’s demands are currently considered too high. Despite his contract expiring in 2023, the Lombards demand a check for 70 million to let go of the Slovak. Problem, PSG only offers 55 million plus various bonuses. If the negotiations with Inter for Skriniar were to fail, Campos will activate other leads. And according to The team, the Portuguese particularly appreciates the profile of Wesley Fofana. The former Saint-Etienne defender has impressed since his arrival in the Premier League from Leicester. But like Skriniar, PSG will have to take out a big price to afford it. The Foxes want more than 70 million euros to let go of Fofana, who still has a contract with Leicester until June 2027. In this case, the champions of France will also have to face competition from big clubs, such as Chelsea or even Man City. In view of the amounts requested for the central defenders concerned, the PSG will have to resolve to do a little madness, unless they make satisfactory sales. Thilo Kehrer and Georginio Wijnaldum are announced as starters in the next few hours. A good start for Luis Campos and others…
