Should Real Madrid worry about Lionel Messi when they face PSG?

When you think of Lionel Messi, you think of one of the best players ever. Having almost won everything there is to win in the game of football, it would be hard to think of anything less than exceptional from the Argentinian. That is until you put into perspective how he has played in recent times for the French leaders, Paris Saint- Germain.

Messi has scored 2 goals in the French league with 5 goals in the Champions League since joining the club back in August. He has one of the worst conversion rates for goals in Europe, with 66 shots and 7 goals in all competitions. His conversion rate for goals is 10.6%. These numbers are a far cry from what we have seen from Messi in the past.

When PSG meets Real Madrid in the Champions League on Feb. 15, there will be some big names that may not be available for the match, such as former Madrid captain Sergio Ramos. It’s going to put a lot more pressure on Messi to perform at his best. From recent past seasons at Barcelona, the Argentinian has struggled against Real Madrid. The last time Messi proved to be a nuisance was May 6th, 2018. After this, it became a pretty common pattern for him not to show up in the future El Clásico meetings.

From struggling to perform against the relegation side of French teams, the upcoming match against three of the best midfielders in the world led by Luka Modric is going to be a very tasking challenge. With this young talent on the team, he will be super beneficial to the entire squad of PSG. Especially for Lionel Messi, who is going to need all the help, he can get to perform at the level he is known for.

Real Madrid’s midfield can help control Lionel Messi

There are a lot of situations in matches where Messi will jog, or walk around the pitch. With Madrid’s tempo of the game and sudden counterattacks, Messi won’t be as much help in a defensive aspect as the team needs him to be. He has a bad history of not tracking back when it’s needed. Errors like these will be taken full advantage of by the Real players. The midfield of Madrid consists of Luka Modric, Casemiro, and Toni Kroos. These players have been together for many years, understanding the game really well, how to control it, and how to shut down attacks. They’ll be able to read Messi like an open book.

Casemiro will be a huge part of this equation. He isn’t afraid to get up close and aggressive with other players. In the past, Casemiro has been very good at marking Messi man on man, and intercepting his passes. The Madrid midfield is very good at putting pressure on players when fighting for the ball and making sure to be in a position to receive almost any pass. They’re incredibly quick to release the ball when it’s needed, making it easy to play around opponents and then provide chances for teammates to make plays, then score.

With Messi in the midst of his worst season, it may become a challenge for him to keep up with the marking, pressing, and playmaking Modric, Casemiro, and Kroos are all known for.

Neymar most likely won’t be able to play at full strength, and this will put more pressure on Messi to perform at the skill level he is most known for. Luckily for him, he’ll have help from Kylian Mbappé. Even though Messi hasn’t been on a scoring run lately, it doesn’t stop him from making amazing passes, quality chances, and most of all, assists.

Kylian Mbappe can help make sure Lionel Messi still has an impact

Who better to slot in some goals than the French forward Mbappé? He has 21 goals and 16 assists in all competitions this season. With good passes from Messi, it should definitely be a concern he’ll be able to put some in the back of the net. Even with Messi’s bad conversion rate for goals, you can never truly rule him out to score a goal himself.

If provided a shot from outside the box, there’s always a chance he’ll be able to add a goal to his collection. Messi may not seem to be as much of a threat as Mbappé, but this doesn’t mean he’ll never have a chance on goal, assists, or the start of a dangerous attack. A perfect example of this is when Messi assisted Mbappé, who scored in the 90th minute, leading PSG to their victory over Rennes.

Messi is not named one of the greatest players ever, for nothing. It’s because when people least expect it, he can come out and play the game of his life, and help contribute to his teammates as no one has seen before. Paris Saint-Germain is an incredibly strong team, but Real Madrid will be ready to fight and overcome any opponent, to be named the kings of Europe, once again.