Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi has made quite the turnaround as of late for the Ligue 1 side. After going on a multi-match streak where he did not record a goal or an assist, the Argentine forward has now notched 10 goal contributions in the season.
For PSG forward Kylian Mbappe, he has seen several key factors behind Messi’s potent adaption with the French powerhouse as of late. In speaking to PSG TV, Mbappe was asked about the team’s success on counters, where he noted that building a bond with his teammates — including Messi — has been among the notable aspects behind this.
“Adaptation is quicker when the personal bond is strong, because it helps on the pitch, you have fewer worries, fewer fears,” Mbappe said. “But it’s normal that new players arrive with confidence, with patterns that they have worked on.
“Even a player like Messi played at Barcelona for 15 years, and for 15 years he did the same thing, it worked. When he comes here, it’s different, so we have to let him adapt and we have to adapt to him.
“I think that’s also something we work on in training, where we manage to create passing patterns. We also manage to create things during games, it’s not necessarily only tactical work, but everything that can create a connection, to say that you know that such and such a player, when he’s there, he can do this or that.”
Mbappe and Messi have produced keen chemistry together on the pitch so far in the season. For one, Mbappe assisted Messi for the Argentine’s first goal with PSG, which came in the team’s UEFA Champions League home group stage fixture against Manchester City.
Mbappe has so far notched 13 goals in all competitions so far in the campaign, which include nine goals scored over 13 matches played in Ligue 1.
