The name “Parc de France” means “Princes’ Park”. And last night (Tuesday) there were three princes on the manicured lawn in Paris: Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and above all – Leo Messi. This is Messi’s second season at PSG, where he arrived last summer from Barcelona. Yesterday it was his 50th game in the team – and the best.
Messi scored a pair and assisted two more, meaning he was directly involved in 4 of the 7 goals scored by PSG. Against Maccabi Haifa. But his display last night was much more than goals and assists. It was the new, relaxed Messi, the one back in his element.
Messi knows that he no longer has the speed that characterized him in the past. He no longer scores goals in crazy slaloms. But he has reached a moment where his football is whole again. He doesn’t do what he can’t do anymore. He doesn’t try. But what he can, he does the best in the world. And this is the best news that PSG can have as well. And also for the Argentina national team, three weeks before the opening of the World Cup.
Unfortunately for Maccabi Haifa, it had to be the “victim” for Messi in his new form. But on the other hand, to lose, to get a seven – at least it will be against the best attack in the world.
It’s never pleasant to score seven goals, no matter which game, in which frame and against which opponent. But last night Maccabi Haifa had mitigating circumstances. Unlike other painful defeats suffered by Israeli teams in the past, in this case it is difficult to make claims against Maccabi Haifa or Barak Becher. Of course, things could have been done differently, and perhaps less goals could have been conceded. But with the ability that the MNM trio showed yesterday, it was not really possible to prevent the defeat. And between us, what is the difference between 5:2 and 7:2?
The big question now as far as Maccabi Haifa is concerned is how it succeeds in the two games that await it in the coming week. First, MS. Ashdod on Saturday in the league and then in Nifika on Wednesday. We have already seen how difficult it has been up to now for Maccabi Haifa to make the transition between the Champions League and the Premier League. They lost to Hapoel Jerusalem and Bnei Rayna and narrowly beat Hapoel Hadera.
Against Ashdod it may be even more difficult, because the players looked like they were falling off their feet in the last 20 minutes at Parc de France, not to mention the quite a few injured. And if that’s not enough, immediately after that comes the game against the great Benfica, who scored four goals against Juventus yesterday. Banfika will reach Sami Ofer in order to win and perhaps take advantage of PSG’s stumble. in Turin to finish at the top of the house. P.S.Z. Will play against Juventus without Neymar, who received a third yellow card last night.
Barak Becher will once again have to wrack his head for the match against Ashdod in everything to do with the lineup, because he will surely want to end the Champions League campaign with his head held high, and maybe even with third place at home. That means he will have to field his strongest team against the Portuguese. The task is not easy at all, but coaches are tested not only when things are going easily, but rather in moments of crisis, in difficult times or after defeats like against PSG. But this is exactly the challenge that Becher will have to face in the coming week, which is going to be one of the most critical for Maccabi Haifa this season.
