Verratti Analyzes the Key Tactical Change Made for Messi During PSG’s Ligue 1 Fixture vs. AS Monaco

Paris Saint-Germain’s Ligue 1 home fixture against AS Monaco was a match of two halves. In the opening 45 minutes of the contest, PSG was not able to muster up much from an attacking standpoint, logging six total shots. The script flipped for PSG in the latter half, as it tallied 12 total shots.

Lionel Messi was not much active in the first half, and in the end, he finished the contest with four successful dribbles completed and one goal-scoring chance created.

There was at the least an attempt to get Messi more involved in the match, which PSG midfielder Marco Verratti spoke about (via Prime Video Sport France) after the 1-1 draw result.

“It was more difficult in the first half,” Verratti said. “After that, we changed a little bit. We put Lionel Messi more in the heart of the game. We managed to find him more in the second half and we know that when he touches the ball, something happens.

“I think we didn’t play a good game in the first 30 minutes. We were surprised by the intensity of Monaco. After that, we played a good game for 60 minutes.”

Messi failed to record a shot on target for the first time in the season, which comes after he combined for 12 total such shots in PSG’s first four official matches of the new campaign.

Overall, Messi sits at five total goal contributions in Ligue 1 play this season.

Tags AS Monaco Ligue 1 Lionel Messi Marco Verratti
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