Lionel Messi has been blasted by furious fans and told he “needs to adapt” after a ‘disasterclass’ compilation spotlighted his performance for Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG failed in their bid to defend the French Cup title after Nice sealed a sensational victory in the round-of-16 clash on Monday.
After the scoreline was deadlocked over normal time, Nice advanced to the quarter-finals with a 6-5 shootout win at the Parc des Princes.
PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino fielded a strong XI for the French Cup tie, with Messi, Mauro Icardi and Gianluigi Donnarumma all starting.
Messi, who has scored only once in Ligue 1 since his sensational free transfer from Barcelona last summer, failed to make an impact against Nice.
And the 34-year-old Argentine forward’s insipid performance has been ‘exposed’ in one compilation, with one fan claiming defenders “read every [one] of his moves.”
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“Instead of moving the ball quickly, he’d rather dribble everyone on his path like it’s 2011. He needs to adapt his game,” one fan said.
While another tweeted: “No longer the best in the world. [Robert] Lewandowski, Kevin De Bruyne and Mo Salah are all better. This man threw the last years of his career away when he joined PSG instead of Man City.”
Someone else wrote: “We need to see him play against Eibar one more time to confirm some things.”
A fourth added: “The defenders read every [one] of his moves.”
And a fifth posted: “Can somebody tell this boy this is not La Liga and defenders aren’t afraid of contact?”
PSG’s shock exit from the French Cup will mount pressure on Pochettino after the Ligue 1 club missed out on silverware.
Pochettino, who has been linked with Manchester United, faces tough competition this month with PSG’s round-of-16 clash with Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Speaking after the defeat to Nice, the PSG manager admitted that his side must be more “clinical” with their chances.
“We must be more clinical,” he said.
“When you get to penalties, it is a lottery. You have to take your chances in front of goal before getting to pens.
“With Kylian [Mbappe], he had some discomfort over the past few days so we decided not to risk him from the start.”
Featured Image Credit: PA/TwitterTopics: Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, France, Football
Adnan Riaz