The other side of PSG's dream trident: how Mbappé became the leader of the offensive ahead of Messi and Neymar

Paris Saint-Germain seems to have finally managed to turn the page after the elimination of the Champions League in the hands of Real Madrid. On the way to a new Ligue 1 title, the last two matches of the capital's draw saw the best version of the attack trident Messi, Mbappé and Neymar. With 11 goals in total in the duels against Lorient and Clermont, in France they say that the South American duo would have accepted their role as companions to make the striker of Les Bleus shine.

Between his late arrival at the club, the constant trips to be with the Argentine national team and some physical discomfort due to the load of matches, Lionel Messi would not have the same influence in Paris as he once had in the Barcelona dressing room, as journalist Dominique Sévérac stated in the newspaper Le Parisien. Beyond the central role that he naturally occupies, the Argentine was aware of the Parisian diagram: he did not lock himself in his attacking position and sought to accommodate himself. Its place on the pitch, to which it has adapted but which sometimes questions it about its most effective use, indicates a setback in the field compared to recent years.

According to Le Parisien, Mauricio Pochettino sees his compatriot more as a midfielder than as a goalscorer, keeping him away from the area where he has already become an exclusive zone reserved for Kylian Mbappé that accumulates a total of 20 scores and 14 assists so far this season. With this approach, Messi's partnership with the French striker is getting better and the roles differ match by match on the court: of her thirteen goal passes, the Flea distributed six for the Tortuga.

Initially, Mbappé took a supporting role showing a willingness to align the trident that everyone feared in the face of Neymar's presence on the team — the club's highest salary — and Lionel's hiring. His admiration for Messi became public and he supported the sports project brought by the leadership of Nasser Al-Khelaïfi to the capital. But after months of irregularity by the two South American stars, Kylian stepped up and stood up as the ship's captain on the offensive, according to the French media report.

The disappearance of Neymar Jr. for two and a half months of the season due to a sprained ankle on November 28 in Saint-Étienne strengthened the relationship between the Argentinean and the Frenchman. Although the Brazilian lifted his performance in recent games, the thickness of the game goes through the feet of the pair. The French media revealed that inside, the two wingers already see Mbappé as the leader in the offensive and that they must give him the best possible tools in each match.

In mid-2021, who made an analysis similar to what ended up happening was Nicolas Anelka. “Mbappé has to be the leader of the attack because he is number one. Messi was at Barça, but now he has to serve Mbappé. He has been with the club for five years and Messi has to respect that,” said former striker Nicolás Anelka in an interview he gave to the French newspaper Le Parisien.

And he concluded: “Mbappé is irreplaceable, in speed he is the best in the world and PSG must do everything to make him stay. But I think he's already decided. He wants more and it's normal. If he had played his last three seasons in England or Spain, he would have already been the Golden Ball. If he leaves, we will have to thank him for everything.” In the end, time ended up proving him right.

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