There was a period when Paris Saint-Germain sought to win the Champions League at all costs, gathering the biggest stars in world football into the team, but never achieving the goal.
A sensational failure that culminated when Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé joined in the same locker room, without managing to utilize their maximum potential.
But why didn't this trio work as expected on the field? Their former coach, now the US national team coach, Mauricio Pochettino, has spoken about this.
In an interview for the YouTube channel "We Are The Overlap", the Argentine coach has brought to attention the difficulties of coexistence on the field, especially between Messi and Mbappe, reports "Gazeta Express".
"Messi wanted to build the action from behind, slowly, with combinations and passes, because he has the quality to control the ball and dribble past one, two or three opponents," he recalled.
However, this style clashed with Mbappe's way of playing.
"On the other hand, Mbappé, when we won the ball and attacked deep, he needed space. You had to give him the ball and let him run. But when we played for Messi, Mbappé said: 'My strength is running'. If we played for Mbappé, we couldn't play for Messi," Pochettino explained.
A clear contrast in playing philosophies that, according to him, made it impossible to find a stable balance.
In his analysis, Pochettino also touches on Messi's difficult period of adaptation in Paris.
The Argentine arrived in 2021 after a painful departure from Barcelona and, as the coach admits, it wasn't easy at all.
"The atmosphere in France was very hostile towards him. He came without pre-season preparation, after a strong emotional blow, and it was not easy," he said.
A mix of factors – different playing styles, big egos and unfavorable circumstances – ultimately prevented PSG from realizing the European dream, despite a trio that seemed invincible on paper. /Express newspaper
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