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Topics: Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Football, Manchester City, Premier League
Rory O'Callaghan
Topics: Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Football, Manchester City, Premier League
Lionel Messi has found goals hard to come by this season - but it’s not for the want of trying.
The Argentina international has scored just once his 12 Ligue 1 appearances, despite having 44 attempts on goal.
Messi now has the second-worst shots-to-goals ratio of any player to have scored in Europe’s top five leagues this season, according to the Daily Mail.
The only player with a worse record is Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo, whose single Premier League goal this season has come from 46 attempts.
Messi has fared considerably better in the Champions League this season, scoring five goals in as many games, while he has also provided six assists in the league.
However, questions have been raised over his domestic form after an unexpectedly slow start to life at the Parc des Princes.
French publication L’Equipe claims Messi is unhappy with PSG’s style of play under Mauricio Pochettino, even though the club are currently 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
Earlier this month, Messi received unlikely support from one his former rivals in Spain, Karim Benzema.
Real Madrid striker Benzema defended the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner from criticism and backed him to adapt to French football.
“How won’t he succeed? It is just a period of adaptation, because he is not scoring a lot of goals,” Benzema told TF1.
“But watch what he does on the pitch.
“In any case you cannot criticise a player like that, he who criticises Messi, knows nothing about football.”