France Ligue 1

FORMER Paris Saint-Germain star Jerome Rothen has slammed Mauricio Pochettino for substituting Lionel Messi in Sunday’s win against Lyon.The Argentine forward was taken off in the 75th minute at Parc des Princes, with the Barcelona legend visibly upset with his compatriot as he made his way to the dugout.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi was taken off against Lyon on Sunday, much to his dismayCredit: AFP
Former PSG ace Jerome Rothen believes Mauricio Pochettino made a ‘mistake’ by substituting MessiCredit: Alamy
Messi even snubbed a handshake offer from the ex-Tottenham boss after being hooked in his home debut.
Pochettino has since played down a rift with the 34-year-old as he defended his decision to withdraw him, despite PSG searching for a winner.
But ex-Les Parisiens ace Rothen, who played in 180 games for the Ligue 1 club, has declared that the 49-year-old should have left Messi on the pitch.
He told RMC Sport: “There was a total misunderstanding. We saw it, Lionel Messi wanted to stay on the pitch. Pochettino made his decision in his heart and conscience.
“Where I find it completely inappropriate on the part of Pochettino, it’s that he’s never been like that with the other stars of the team.
“Since he arrived, whether it was Neymar or [Kylian] Mbappe, he always left them on the pitch, even when they were bad.

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“He has always protected them unlike other players like [Angel] Di Maria, [Leandro] Paredes, [Mauro] Icardi.
“Then, Lionel Messi arrives, in terms of status and aura, Messi is much superior to Neymar and Mbappe.
“We are talking about Lionel Messi, the best player on the planet. He has a special status. We must avoid misunderstandings with your top player, especially from his first start at the Parc des Princes.
“There are so many signs that are not good. It’s a big mistake from Mauricio Pochettino, he should have left him on the pitch.
“I don’t know what he played. Did he want to mark his territory? I do not hope, because there, he is completely crazy. We do not cry genius there.
“You are going to put your best player on your back. It leaves traces, this kind of event. And the image is terrible. He made a serious mistake. Pochettino crashed there.”
Messi is reportedly earning £1,000,000-a-week at PSG
Messi is still yet to provide a goal or an assist from his three outings for PSG following his summer arrival.
It has been claimed that the player is nursing a minor knee injury, which could see him miss Wednesday’s clash against Metz.
And despite the knock potentially playing a part in his substitution against Lyon, his former Barcelona team-mate Thierry Henry has declared he wasn’t surprised by his reaction.
Messi snubs Pochettino after being subbed off against Lyon More

LIONEL MESSI reportedly spent the day receiving treatment following the flare-up over his substitution for Paris Saint-Germain.French media have outlined the injury concern which is said to explain the 34-year-old’s early departure from Sunday’s match against Lyon.
Lionel Messi was reportedly limping as he missed training on MondayCredit: EPA
The 76th-minute swap for Achraf Hakimi came with the Ligue 1 sides level at 1-1, before Mauro Icardi’s late winner for Les Parisiens.
Having been taken off by Mauricio Pochettino, Messi refused to shake his manager’s hand and the pair shared words in a terse exchange.
It had been assumed that the Argentine was replaced for failing to net a first PSG goal on his third appearance for the club.
But a blow to his knee minutes before his departure has now been identified as the reason behind his exit, as reported by RMC.
Furthermore, L’Equipe claim that Messi spent Monday in the treatment room and was spotted limping around the training ground.
The Argentine is therefore a doubt for Wednesday’s trip to Metz.

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In spite of any injury issue, his disappointed reaction at being taken off has been attributed to his dry run in front of goal.
Former Barcelona team-mate Thierry Henry told Amazon Prime’s coverage: “[His reaction] did not surprise me. Maybe he didn’t want to come off.
“We don’t know what they’re saying to each other. Let’s not start the controversy.
“He surely wanted to stay on the pitch so he could score.”
Speaking after the game, Pochettino was adamant that even the superstar will have to accept being taken off from time to time.
He insisted: “The decisions in the game are made for the good of the team and each player.

“Every coach thinks about that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes players like it and sometimes they don’t.
“At the end of the day, that’s why we’re here. These are decisions that have to be made by the coach.
“As for his reaction, I asked him how he was, he said he was OK. That was it. That was our exchange.”
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MAURICIO POCHETTINO has played down a rift with Lionel Messi as the Paris Saint-Germain boss defended his decision to substitute the forward.The 49-year-old took off his Argentine compatriot during the 2-1 win against Lyon on Sunday, with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner snubbing a handshake offer from him.
Lionel Messi snubbed a handshake from Mauricio Pochettino after being substitutedCredit: AFP
Paris Saint-Germain forward Messi was hooked in the second half during the 2-1 win against LyonCredit: AFP
Messi looked visibly upset with Poch after being hauled off in the 75th minute for right-back Achraf Hakimi with PSG searching for a winner.
The pair exchanged words as the 34-year-old made his way to the dugout, with ex-Tottenham gaffer Pochettino lifting the lid on what they said.
He told reporters after the game: “I think we all know we have great players in this 35-man squad.
“Only 11 can play, we can’t play more. The decisions in the game are made for the good of the team and each player.
“Every coach thinks about that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes players like it and sometimes they don’t.
“At the end of the day, that’s why we’re here. These are decisions that have to be made by the coach.

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“As for his reaction, I asked him how he was, he said he was okay. That was it. That was our exchange.”
Pochettino was spared criticism from fans by taking Messi off as Mauro Icardi popped up with the winner for PSG in the 93rd minute.
Les Parisiens have maintained their perfect record in Ligue 1 this season having won all six of their matches.
But Messi is yet to get on the score sheet for the French giants, with the Barcelona legend also failing to register an assist.
Following PSG’s goalless draw away at Club Brugge in the Champions League, ex-Liverpool striker Michael Owen stated Messi has made the club WEAKER.
The BT Sport pundit said: “As much as we drool over them, this PSG team with those forwards, they’re all phenomenal players in their own right.
Messi is reportedly earning £1,000,000-a-week at PSG
“But three together makes it weaker for me and I don’t really understand why they’re one of the favourites for it [the Champions League].
“I think the English teams [Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Man Utd] are far, far superior.
“I almost feel as though the signing of the likes of [Gianluigi] Donnarumma and Sergio Ramos gives them more of a chance of winning it than the signing of someone like Messi.”
Messi snubs Pochettino after being subbed off against Lyon More

CHAOTIC scenes engulfed the Ligue 1 match between Lens and Lille after the home side’s ultras invaded the pitch.The Lens supporters marched towards the travelling Lille fans in a shameful act of intimidation, delaying the start of the second half.
Lens fans stormed towards the away Lille crowd
Riot police had to restrain some spectators after they invaded the pitch
Riot police were called to the incident and the crunch derby game was delayed for around 90 minutes.
The 3pm kick-off eventually got back underway at 5.30pm, a near-90minute delay.
French journalist Amine Mohamed said: “Two minutes before the invasion, Lille supporters provoked the Lens (fans) by pretending to climb over the gates.
“Lens supporters crossed the pitch towards the visitors’ stand.
“Just before, Lille threw projectiles over the grid which separated them from Lens supporters.”
Once the game resumed, Przemyslaw Frankowski scored in the 74th minute to hand Lens the lead.

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It was utter chaos inside the stadium as the second half was delayed
The madness was a concern for everyone inside the ground
The match resumed after around a 90-minute delay
The ugly scenes come just weeks after Marseille and Nice fans produced a similar scene.
It began after a Nice supporter launched a bottle at Dimitri Payet.
The former West Ham man then lobbed it back into the stands sparking chaos as home supporters made their way onto the pitch.
Following a huge melee – which led to Payet bleeding and his team-mate Matteo Guendouzi getting strangle marks around his neck – the Marseille team refused to carry on after the 90-minute delay.
The sorry episode left a number of players with injuries, including Marseille trio Guendouzi, Payet and Luan Peres.
Nice were docked one point and ordered to play further games behind doors after the violent brawl.

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PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN have restored Phil Collins’ famous track ‘Who Said I Would’ as their entrance music after complaints from fans.The French side had replaced the 1985 song with a tune from DJ Snake – and even he wanted the Genesis icon to make a comeback.
PSG have restored Phil Collins to their pre-match playlistCredit: Getty – Contributor
PSG fan DJ Snake asked the club to bring the Genesis icon backCredit: Getty
PSG announced on Friday: “Faced with the emotion aroused by the change in input music of the players, Phil Collins returns to the Park on Sunday.
“At the same time, discussions continue with many artists to strengthen our identity with an ambitious, contemporary and Parisian sound.”
Collins’ track was used by PSG for nearly 30 years before replacing it with DJ Snake’s ‘Intro Mixed’ for games against Strasbourg and Clermont.
But the Paris-born DJ, 35, asked the club to reverse their move as the bespoke track was not intended for repeated use at Le Parc des Princes.
In a message to PSG and the club’s fans, DJ Snake tweeted: “I provided a soundtrack for Lionel Messi’s presentation video.
“I found out, like you, that it was used as intro music for the players’ entrance when it’s not appropriate.

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“I didn’t want to harm the club by speaking out on this subject, but I can’t accept this situation as a supporter and you know the love I have for our colours.”
PSG’s director of diversification Fabien Allegre defended the club’s decision to amend their pre-match playlist in an interview with Le Parisien.
He said: “It was not a mistake. We are very attached to this song. I hear it, and our will is not to eliminate it from all our matches.
“Why couldn’t we have ‘Go West’ [by the Pet Shop Boys] or the Phil Collins song when the players arrive for the warm-up?
“I got a lot of positive feedback from people who enjoyed the song.”
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