When Paris Saint-Germain reportedly suspended Lionel Messi for two weeks for an unauthorized trip to Saudi Arabia, the capital club put their Ligue 1 season on the line.
PSG sits in first place with Olympique de Marseille five points behind the French giants with five matches left this 2022-23 season. Messi will miss two games, and there’s talk that he won’t even play the last three contests.
As a result, Alain Giresse, former player and PSG coach, now has doubts that the capital club will be able to hold onto their lead. Giresse notes that Messi has been the only player to feed Kylian Mbappé the ball.
“I want us to be reassured by saying that PSG remains the best armed,” Giresse told Le Parisien (h/t Paris Fans). “But now there is a question mark around Paris.
“Do not tell me that PSG remains strong. Normally, you have to beat Troyes and Ajaccio but normality was not losing at the Parc against Lorient … Messi may be slow, [but] it was only he who gave Mbappé the right shots.”
With Messi suspended for two games and rumors of him not playing again for PSG and Neymar out with a season-ending ankle injury, these last few games will fall on the shoulders of Mbappé. The 24-year-old must show leadership and carry the offensive attack to a Ligue 1 title.