Lionel Messi scores two goals, two assists for PSG in 7-2 win vs. Maccabi Haifa

By
Roy Nemer
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90

Lionel Messi scored two goals and had two assists for PSG in their 6-2 win vs. Maccabi Haifa.

Messi made it 11 goals and 12 assists for PSG against Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League. With the score at 0-0, the ball fell to Messi inside the penalty area as he shot the ball with the outside of his foot to give PSG the 1-0 lead.

He would also get an assist as PSG were leading 2-0 and he played a pass into Neymar who would score.

The Argentine would score his second of the game. He would get the ball on the edge of the penalty area, dribble around a Maccabi Haifa player and score.

At 6-2 for PSG, Messi would dribble around the defender and pull a cut back to Carlos Soler who would score. He would also hit the crossbar.

With his 11 goals and 12 assists, he is the only player in Europe’s top five leagues with 10+ goals and 10+ assists.

@mundoalbiceleste Lionel Messi goal for PSG. #LionelMessi #Messi #ParisSaintGermain #Paris #PSG #fyp #foryou #Football #Futbol #Soccer #Argentina ♬ original sound – Mundo Albiceleste

@mundoalbiceleste Lionel Messi scores for PSG. #LionelMessi #Messi #ParisSaintGermain #Paris #PSG #fyp #foryou #Football #Futbol #Soccer #Argentina ♬ original sound – Mundo Albiceleste

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90 Comments

  1. De Paul is a massive player! Easily one of the best midfielders in the world, a far cry above Atletico’s rest midfielders but still used way to little and something is telling me that Simeone is quite responsible for this. If you also take into consideration Simeone’s tendency to stick with Felix that much, this justifies somehow his stubborness.

  2. Atleticos defense and mids think they’re Roberto Carlos shooting from outside penalty box. Brick feet players have no business shooting like that.

  4. What Xavi does for Barca is the perfect example of overthinking. The same mistake Sampaoli did for Argentina. How in the world he would start Marcos Alonso and Kounde as CB. Then the rarely used Frank Kessie and the 4th midfielder in Pedri. Really really bad coaching. Instead of relying on his strongest team, he experiments completely against a team like Bayern.

    Hope Scaloni will never do this.

    • But why shouldn’t he experiment? I mean after all Barcelona went into the game already knocked out. So why not? Even if he had played is strongest team what’s the point? I understand Xavi’s perspective. He couldn’t have Araujo, Kounde and Christensen, the CBS he brought in for his style for crucial games against Real, Bayern & Inter. Busquest and Pique are too old to keep up with the pace of the UCL. So where is the bad coaching there?

      • Even if they are already out but Barca have a pride. You don’t want to be beaten twice by Munchen home and away. If they had beaten Munchen for example, that would have been a consolation prize.

        I am saying bad coaching because he used tactics and players he rarely used before instead of fielding the best possible 11.

        A lot of high profile players came to Barca this summer from Lewandowski to Raphinha to Kessie to Christensen and Kounde. To be eliminated in the first round of CL is a pure underachievement. They were supposed to be the favorite. Their tactics seem to work only against smaller teams not big teams.

        • I hear @El Principe you but that does not take away the fact that Xavi never had his first choice defense in crucial matches. Plus players do not get motivated to play for pride when there’s nothing at stake. Barça has been playing with a makeshift defense in UCL.

  8. Some people on this blog said messi was done.
    But they get mad when pundit say he’s not the same anymore.
    Now they all forgot that they counted him out just like the French media

  10. Last season Messi had 11 goals and 17 assists, typically career best figures for most players but worst season of his career for the GOAT. But this year his finishing is getting better and better by every match which is a great news for us. The goal scoring responsibility will mostlikely be on Messi, Lautaro and Dimaria’s shoulders with other players pitching in with some odd goals here and there. And if Scaloni can get that team chemistry which we displayed against Italy back before the knockouts of the world cup then we will be invincible.

    Regarding Palacios, if he starts featuring for Leverkusen he will 100% go to the world cup. Palacios has always given solid performance whenever he came off the bench and never compromised the high pressing tempo. MacAllister, also does the same job with less creativity and precision. Scaloni like work horses and both of these players fit his game plan perfectly. However, Enzo is clearly more dynamic compared to MacAllister and with Foyth almost out of the world cup , Scaloni might bring 8 midfielders.

    I am more worried about Dybala’s fitness. He is a must have on the bench. He has that X-Factor that draws defenders creating spaces for others and at the same time can score or help create a goal out of nowhere.

  11. Currently the best players with their club to me are: Emi Martinez, Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Enzo Fernandez, Messi and Lautaro(just in time). We know Emi, Otamendi, Messi and Lautaro will be in the 11 no matter what. For the other 2 young players:

    Lisandro: tricky to put him in the 11 given that there is already Cuti and Lisandro is not a left fullback

    Enzo: I see him in Vitinha’s role of PSG to play between lines, I really like the 4312 of PSG that brought the best of Messi. Paredes or Guido as regista, De Paul in Ruiz’s role and Thiago Almada or Papu in Neymar’s position.

    Otherwise I hope Sampaoli continue to give more playing time to the Argentine players of Sevilla, especially Montiel Acuna and Papu. Interesting to see that all of them involved in the goals of Sevilla. I believe that if the pair Acuna-Papu play at their best level(still quite far), Argentina will win the world cup.

  12. enzo is player who has strong personality he won’t let opponent win ball without putting there 100%, those who thought he can’t defend or attack they are fool, i want palacios too bcs he has good understanding with team and he can attack with messi locelso depaul, enzo can win ball from the middle and contribute to attack like the ball he is recover and assisted a goal to messi, even he is perfectly blend with attack i saw several time he has very good dribbling ability, at this moment argentina may have first team but enzo is not downgrade below midfielder, he is either upper or standard substitute

    • macallister is one sit back type of midfielder, but enzo is a aggressive midfielder, we need strong personality type of midfielder, messi, dimaria, locelso, lautaro, deapul, nico gonzales is enough for attacking output, peredes can be used for his vision and peredes needs to do some work in defence, so improving defence, foyth should be in there, bcs several time i saw in copa final messi has to drop lower to assist montiel in defence

  13. There should be no doubt, absolutely NO doubt regarding Enzo Fernandes going to Qatar with Argentina. Leaving him out is UNACCEPTABLE.

    He is better than Palacios. Nostalgia won’t confuse us here.

    What a BALLER

  14. I usually don’t comment a lot..but seeing people arguing about taking palacios over enzo makes no sense…palacios has been injured for most of the season…while enzo has been regularly playing and is also a starter. He has played against the likes of psg and juve and did really well…IMO enzo should start over parades and palacios should be dropped.

  15. You may hate me..but truth is always difficult!
    Enzo has potential to become World star but not now..Argentina is not benfica or Liverpool!
    You like it or not, the truth is still Enzo not good at creativity nor at defending (just poor compare to paredes or gudio).. His only option in Argentine mid is as number 5 but where paredes and gudio there..so sorry to say no chance for enzo in 26 squad if palacios fit..
    Hope after world cup area he wil be our frist choice DM.

    • Its ur opinion. No hate. Enzo is not our friend or relative. I just want Argentina to win wc so for my understanding without Enzo or foyth in the squad our chances of winning the cup will decrease by 25%

    • I agree. Enzo is great, but people pretending playing well at Benefica makes him world class are delusional. He needs to move to a stronger leauge (England, Spain, Italy..) and if he still bosses there then we have proof. Right now he is all promise and potential. Paredes is the better player and Guido a much better defending #5. Enzo is a wonderful option as a sub however.

      • no enzo isn’t worldclass but he is class who improve team further and continously progressing his levels of game, gives strong presence of energy physicality along side all other footballing skills , some people says in here he is a retention dribbler no he is not a retention dribbler if you want him attack he can attack he done it several time with river, scaloni himself speaks him as complete midfielder, he already had assist for messi in national team with his tackles agaisnt physically strong player,
        enzo is not world class but he is surely class who can shine further, a player who will give team presence of personality, strength, energy of feeling strong defence from the middle bcs he is very good in tackle and interception, people in here thinks that he can’t play other than defensive midfield but i saw several time he played more advanced role for river and did it very well

    • I am 100% sure you are not an Argentina fan. If that was the case no one would ever suggest to take palacios over enzo…enzo is playing agaisnt the likes of psg and juve and still doing well…while palacios has been injured for most of the matches this season…Taking enzo over palacios is a no brainer

    • Everyone has his own opinion on football. I am quite a big fan of him because he’s good with and without the ball, do lot of invisible work. Besides I think he’s at the right place, I follow Benfica since a while, it’s a very good team, his partnership with Florentino is really amazing, same for the pair Otamendi-Antonio Silva. I guarantee they could be serious outsider for this UCL.

  16. Been watching Thiago Almada. This dude has improved a lot. He has that Riquelme tendency to shoot the ball from outside whenever available and likes to do killer pass. Out of all of his goals for Atlanta, I think almost none of them from outside the box. He plays MC or AMC mostly for Atlanta.

    Offensively he is always great. He is not that fast, can play winger as well, but better as a central midfielder or AMC. If he improves his defensive game, he could be a real asset for us after the World Cup. Definitely the perfect player to replace Papu after the World Cup. There is similarity between the two as well. In Olympics 2021, he was the only one who looked good out of all players. I say him and Enzo will be the pillars of our midfield in the future. Enzo, Almada, and the senior De Paul sound awesome in 4 years.

    But again MLS is a weak league. The likes of Driussi, who has been a failure in Europe, who never lives up to the expectation is the best player of MLS. It says a lot of the league. I just hope a good European team would buy Thiago. He’s got all what it takes to be a very good midfielder or AM.

    • Exactly, especially now our other attacking midfielders like Nico and Di Maria are injured and not sure to be ready, Papu lack of playing time. But in reality, it’s gonna be tough, they only have few days of training before the start and it’s impossible for any new player to be in the 11.

  17. Depending on the form of Enzo I have made a 4-2-3-1 formation against strong opponents for the WC

    EMI

    Molina Romero Ota Tagliafico

    De paul Enzo

    Di Maria Messi Lo celso

    El toro

    These team can bang the opposition

    Do let me know all your thoughts
    🇦🇷💙💪

  18. Great to see Messi regained form and enjoys playing football again!

    Along with him the Argentine players who currently are close to top form are Licha Martinez, Lautaro, Enzo and Tagliafico. Based on form it would be wise to start all five, both Licha and Enzo in midfield.

      • I wouldn’t play Licha as a DM although he can play in that role, especially when our regular DMs are healthy. With Licha, a good option could be playing 3-5-2. This formation is among the options Scaloni has experimented and probably will try again.

        Romero— Otamendi—-Lisandro
        Molina-DePaul-Enzo-Celso-Nico
        Messi———Lautaro

  19. Concerns for Argentina in Qater

    1. No proper backup for Lautaro. Dybala is injured and Julian is still not up to the mark.

    2. Possibility of Foyth not recovering and being left out. You may not like Foyth but he will definitely be needed in certain circumstances in certain games.

    3. Bad form of our midfield trios and the fact that the most inform midfielder (Enzo) may not be even selected, let alone playing in the first eleven. My only hope is that DPL will perform for the National team regardless of their club form. Otherwise, I doubt Scaloni will be bold enough to bring Enzo in the first eleven.

    3. Again, injury and chances of not being match fit for DeMaria, Nico, Dybala, Palacious, and Acuna.

    • Where would you put enzo in the team…… I can only see him replacing paredes… I don’t think he can do lo celso Or de Paul type of stuff.
      We have to change our style of play to include him if we want play both paredes and enzo.
      Only palacios is the natural replacement for both lo celso and de Paul.

      • @ Shubham, we should not hang on to a line-up that worked 18 months ago. Things change.
        A 4-1-4-1 formation could be considered.
        Tagliafico, Otamendi, Romero and a RB
        Licha
        Papu, Enzo,, Messi, RDP
        Lautaro

        Papu because Nico and DM are both injured. They can join in the KO phase.

        RB – Both Molina and Montiel are average but can play the group matches. Against tougher opposition we need Foyth (if he regains form) or surprise Maffeo.

          • @ Csabalala
            Agree that chemistry is important.
            Changes are however necessary. With 3,5 weeks until the WC kickoff, our regular midfield players LoCelso-Parades-RDP are either injured or not playing for other reasons.
            We cannot expect them to be top fit and hitting the required form in just several days after they resume play. Therefore we should look at players who are in form.

          • True.
            FIFA regulations state that coaches are allowed to call up players that were not on the long list.
            That being said, Maffeo won’t be called.

    • 1. Currently Alvarez is ahead of J Correa in Scaloni’s pecking order. They both are OK but there is no other single 9 that deserve to be called up now. I mean Simeone, Alario, Icardi all lack of playing time. Boye is too unproven. I still think Alvarez will be fine as Lautaro’s back up.

      2. I think Foyth will be called up. He is too versatile and we will have an extra space for an extra defender. I am sure if healthy he will be ahead of Perez and Medina. Just hope he will be match fit.

      3. For me Lo Celso with his back up Papu. Paredes with Guido are equally as good. My concern is De Paul. De Paul is too valuable for us. When healthy, Palacios can back up De Paul, but don’t know if he will even make the 26. Enzo can back up De Paul but for some reason Scaloni never tried Enzo there. He played mostly as 5 under Scaloni.

      4. Di Maria, Nico, and Paredes are 2 weeks out which is quite perfect timing. By the time they recover and need some minutes to be match fit, it should be around 8th or 10th of November, during which their clubs will have around 1-2 matches more before the start of the World Cup.

      Palacios already starts training. Hope he won’t rush. Acuna is fine. It is just Sampaoli not always starting him. Dybala is a major question mark.

  20. foyth is superior in interceptions, ariel wins, turn overs and pressure, this is why xavi wants him, so some of mundoers things he is no good, this side is gives taste of clown. and some thought enzo is no good in defence did anyone saw his contribution to one messi goal showing physical aggressiveness, if physicallity blend with footballing skills that gives real taste of defence
    foyth haters? lol
    enzo haters? lol
    messi haters ? lol

  21. Enzo could be our ace card, a surprising factor for Albiceleste in Qatar 2022. Not a single doubt to be included in the team. his work rate, exploration, shooting, and penetration are complete

  22. Messi this season for club and country
    18 games, 15 goals and 12 assists..!

    By checking just goal..may be Messi is not in his best..but 27 goals+assists in 18 games…he’s clearly in his best form again.

  23. Enzo and a fit Palacios in no doubt ahead of McAllister for Qater.

    If Scaloni leaves Enzo at home, he will make the stupidest mistake (after all we have a record of doing such mistakes).

    Enzo in the National team can only be compared with the likes of Romero and Emi’s inclusion in the team. He blends with the team (both Benifica and Argentina) from the very first day.

    Why do we need McAllister if we have Parades, Guaido, and Enzo?

    • Scaloni is too smart to drop someone like Enzo who is in sublime form. He will most-likely won’t be a starter until one of GLC, De-Paul or Paredes screws up really bad but he should be picked in the 26 man squad which means Scaloni will most likely not select Foyth who isn’t likely to be fully fit before the team announcement anyways. Foyth is our best RB when it comes to defending and could be very useful on the right flank when especially defending a lead. Additionally, Scaloni needs work horses to execute his pressing game and that is why he likes players like Palacios and MacAllister. The squad could very likely have 8 defenders, 8 midfielders , 7 forwards and 3 goal-keepers

      • Foyth has to be in if he is match-fit. if scaloni is planning for 3-5-2 as plan B. you require Foyth. for me on this year’s performance of players in defence these defensive players should be picked if we are taking 9 defenders.
        CB – Otamendi,lisandro Martinez,cuti Romero
        RB- Molina, Foyth
        LB- Tagalifico,Acuna
        and any two out of Montiel, Medina, Pezzella and Perez based on the balance of the Team.
        on current form ,montiel ,Pezzella and acuna are not upto the level.

      • Foyth is not our best defender of our right backs.
        Both montiel and Molina are more reliable than foyth… he is a yellow card waiting to happened on EVERY ONE ON ONE ! He will not be on the WC team

        • yeah montiel is best defender, waiting to be give the oponent space create blunder, a player who can’t tackle a player who can’t win aeriel duels a player who can’t give goal thread in set piece as defender, a player who don’t give physicality, a player who will fail against faster winger, comes out to be reliable defender good logic. foyth is not best defender so the montiel is lol

          • good thing about montiel is he is not lazy player, he frequently moves but he is not the most disciplined one, he lacks physical body to be defender

      • If any of the paredes depaul or locelso screwed really bad in wc then we will be knocked out no coming back from there. There will be no second chance like ucl gives to teams where despite loosing 4-0 against psg barca could progress by winning 6-1. One mistake one wrong team selection and the 4 years hardwork will be destroyed. Because we lack a good defensive rb foyth is vital and scaloni should take a chance and select foyth in 26 man squad. If we can wait for Dybala even though we know Dybala will not be fit even in the first group match thn why not wait for foyth who will be fit before wc. Some 15-20 minutes in first 2 games and if we win first 2 games foyth can start the poland game and by the time knock out starts he will be match fit.

    • The lack of play time is not only affecting his finishing , it’s even eating his confidence. He is our no-1 and only proper backup to Lautaro and especially if Dybala doesn’t make it then we need Alvarez back to his clinical best!!

    • Julian is bit unlucky in city. Coz against Copenhagen the match he started city reduced to 10 players. Now in this match there is no de bruyne or bernado in the first half. I think he needs to calm down and use the chance properly. Also city players didn’t pass to him. His first touch to give a pass is always sublime. But when he tries to run with the ball the first touch goes heavy sometimes.

  26. Last season some Cristiano fans…Messi is finished..he can only play in Barcelona..😃

    Messi this season;
    last 10 games, 11 goals and 6 assists..!

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