Speaking in the wake of his team’s 5-1 win over Lille yesterday, Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino praised his team’s change in attitude from their cup defeat to Nice as well as the improved performance.
His words transcribed in L’Équipe, the Argentine also lauded Lionel Messi’s performance, insisting that he had no doubts over his compatriot’s ability to return to form.
“The attitude was good but the performance was different as well. In tonight’s game we pressed Lille well,, we forced them to play long balls, we were compact and when we won the ball back, we were able to cause them more problems. We accept the criticism. They sometimes also rest on expectations which maybe don’t match reality.”
“[On Messi] I had no doubts about it, Leo is the best player in the world. As with anyone, he needs time to adapt. He needed time in order to recover to his best physical condition, having not played for a month due to Covid. It’s important that Leo shows that kind of involvement and commitment.”