Thierry Henry weighs in on Lionel Messi’s struggles at PSG

Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain celebrate
Lionel Messi of Paris Saint-Germain celebrate - IMAGO / Sebastian Frej

Henry has explained the reason behind his former Barca team-mate Messi’s rocky start to life in France.

Lionel Messis goal drought stretched to four games in Ligue 1 following PSG’s draw against Marseille at the weekend.

The Argentine forward might have made a terrific start to the Champions League campaign, but it is quite a surprise to see him deprived of goals in Ligue 1.

Despite forming a dream partnership with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, Messi has often looked like a fish out of the water at PSG this season.

Former Arsenal and Barca star Thierry Henry has weighed in on Messi’s rocky start in Ligue1, claiming that the Argentine skipper doesn’t spend more time on the ball and easily gets isolated.

Les Parisiens’ manager Mauricio Pochettino has been deploying Messi on the right-hand side and Henry believes that the former Blaugrana ace can bring a lot of influence from the centre of the pitch.

Henry said (h/t Mirror): “Messi is isolated and does not touch the ball too much. I would not say that he is sad, but I see that his position is isolated. I prefer him in the centre, and I do not think he can make a difference from the right.

“He is having a bad time and the centre he can find rhythm. There has to be a solution found so that they [Messi, Mbappe and Neymar] can play together.”

The former Gunners star also added that his compatriot Mbappe is a cut above both Messi and Neymar.

Henry added: “Messi doesn’t talk too much. He does it with the ball. At the moment, the team belongs to Kylian. It is he who makes PSG shine.

“The ball is looking more for Kylian and if there is more than one ‘driver’, the team cannot play in unison.”

Mbappe has been in brilliant form this season, racking up 6 goals and 4 assists across all competitions. He also recently helped France to lift the Nations League trophy.