Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Lionel Messi after Argentine opens PSG account in win against Man City

Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Lionel Messi after Argentine opens PSG account in win against Manchester City… with Catalan boss admitting it is ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ to control his old prodigy for 90 minutes

  • Lionel Messi scored his first PSG goal in their victory against Manchester City 
  • Argentine announced himself to down Pep Guardiola’s side in French capital 
  • The City manager heaped praise on his old prodigy after his trademark strike 
  • But Guardiola took several positives despite a 2-0 Champions League defeat


Lionel Messi announced himself in style at Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night as his first goal for the club downed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

Messi took the game away from City late on but Guardiola took several positives despite a 2-0 Champions League defeat in the Parc des Princes on a night that saw Liverpool thrash Porto 5-1.

The City manager heaped praise on his old prodigy, claiming it was impossible to thwart him for the entire game.

Lionel Messi (centre) announced himself in style at Paris Saint-Germain with his first goal

The Messi took the game away from Manchester City late on to help PSG record a 2-0 win

The Messi took the game away from Manchester City late on to help PSG record a 2-0 win

‘The (Messi) goal was fantastic,’ Guardiola said. ‘We know it’s impossible to control Leo during the whole 90 minutes but he was not much in touch with the ball.

‘We know quite well when he can run and get close to the box he is unstoppable. We knew it already, we spoke about that, we cannot control them for 90 minutes, these huge talents.

‘The only options I know is to defend deep for 90 minutes deep and pray or to take the ball and try to play your game. We played our game. Our attackers could be more aggressive and say, ‘oh, I can score – I have this quality..’ This is what they have to do in the future.’ 

City manager Pep Guardiola heaped praise on his old prodigy, claiming it was impossible to thwart him for the entire game

City manager Pep Guardiola heaped praise on his old prodigy, claiming it was impossible to thwart him for the entire game

Messi pleaded for more time to settle in France after making only his fourth appearance

Messi pleaded for more time to settle in France after making only his fourth appearance

Messi pleaded for more time to settle in France after making only his fourth appearance for Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG since leaving Barcelona over the summer.

‘I hadn’t been able to play recently and this was only my second game in this stadium,’ Messi said. ‘I’m adapting to my new team. The more we forwards play together the better our relationship will be. We all need to grow together and improve and keep giving our best.

‘City were great opponents. It was very important for us to win the match after our draw against Brugge. I’m very happy to have scored.’ 

Last year’s finalists missed a number of chances – not least when Bernardo Silva could only hit the bar from two yards before half-time. PSG scored with two of their three shots on target, Idrissa Gueye opening the scoring after eight minutes.

Bernardo Silva only hit the bar from two yards before half-time in one of many City misses

Bernardo Silva only hit the bar from two yards before half-time in one of many City misses

‘The team was there, the same as Stamford Bridge on Saturday,’ Guardiola added. ‘We are alive. It was a good performance, we did everything but couldn’t score.

‘That’s football. It’s a pity. The most important thing was the performance, it’s the same here as at Chelsea. This was our team.

‘Now we are going to eat good tonight, drink a glass of wine and recover before Liverpool on Sunday.’

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