Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) full-back Achraf Hakimi has praised Lionel Messi’s following his assist for Neymar Jr. against Brest. The French giants recorded a narrow 1-0 win against Brest to maintain their unbeaten start to the 2022-23 season.
Messi’s incredible assist for Neymar was the highlight of the game. The Argentine skipper picked up the ball from midfield and lobbed it for his former Barcelona teammate who slotted the ball into the far corner.
The PSG squad, especially the attackers, have been questioned for their lack of cohesion amongst each other. It all started with a reported feud between Neymar and Kylian Mbappe over a penalty during a Ligue 1 encounter this season.
Achraf Hakimi, however, does not doubt Lionel Messi’s lack of cohesion in the team and his assist on Saturday was the perfect example of that. Speaking after their win over Brest, the former Inter Milan wing-back was quoted as saying the following:
“When I make the call and Leo [Messi] does not give it, it is because he has seen that there is another player to whom he can pass. This is not a problem. That’s how today he made the pass to Neymar and we took the three points.”
A free-scoring PSG side toiled to a narrow 1-0 win over Brest following a 2-1 win over Juventus in the UEFA Champions League earlier this week. Prior to their game against Brest, the Parisian giants had scored 24 goals from six Ligue 1 games this season.
Neymar has been the highest contributor in attack for Christophe Galtier’s side. The Brazilian superstar has scored 10 goals and provided seven assists from just nine games across all competitions.
Lionel Messi has been the creative force which has helped Mbappe and Neymar to scoring freely for PSG
Since the arrival of Christophe Galtier as PSG’s new manager, Lionel Messi has been deployed slightly deeper in attack. This change has helped other forwards in the team to flourish and score goals for fun.
Messi has contributed seven assists from nine games for the Parisian giants across all competitions. He has even scored four times this season, including a brace against Clermont Foot in their opening game of the term.
The Argentine attacker is on course to have a great season for PSG compared to his debut season. Messi scored just 11 goals and provided 15 assists last time around.
They will next be in action in the UEFA Champions League and face Maccabi Haifa in Israel.