Let’s play a little quiz, shall we? You have Messi, Neymar, Mbappe, Di Maria, Veratti, Ramos, etc. in a squad. What’s the name of a coach that will serve as an authority for them? You’ve got ten seconds.Ahmm, hmm, huuh, well… Mauricio Pochettino.Biiiiiip! The wrong answer, you lose.But why? I mean, but why? (©REUTERS/Benoit Tessier )But what is the correct one, you might ask. To tell you the truth, we are not sure either because such a premium bunch deserves a larger-than-life authority that is nowhere near the surface. Among the currently jobless tacticians maybe (and we underline that maybe), Zinedine Zidane could somehow stand above those stars and prove to them there’s nothing better than to obey his methods and decisions with his man-management skills.BARCELONA – GRANADASure, our title is slightly too harsh (is it, really?), but last night Pochettino made a move that will definitely change the status quo at the Parc des Princes stadium for good. He decided to yank Messi 15 minutes before the final whistle in the Ligue 1 derby against Lyon, with 1-1 on the scoreboard at the moment.Pochettino in big trouble… pic.twitter.com/M9m6OuVtS7— Galu (@PSGalu) September 19, 2021 What followed was Messi’s obvious, passive-aggressive reaction that Poch himself could not ignore, nor millions of fans around the world.Believe it or not, this was the first time Messi was subbed due to non-injury issues since – brace yourself – 31 March 2010. More than 11 years ago! An unprecedented incident that really is.🗓️🇫🇷 El 31/03/2010 fue la última vez que cambiaron a Messi sin estar lesionado y con un empate 🔙 Fue un Arsenal 2 – Barça 2 pic.twitter.com/urqyyzdtku— Carrusel Deportivo (@carrusel) September 19, 2021 Messi’s exchange with his coach as he came off the field is probably best described as terse. It wasn’t a typical sub by any means, especially since it was Leo’s first game in front of the Paris fans, and his teammates on the bench seemed to pick up on it.When social media got hold of the video and images, the sequence of events quickly spread.After the match, Pochettino explained why he and his coaching staff made that decision.”We made the decision to take Messi off because of a possible future injury,” he stated.”We have important matches coming up, and we have to protect him.”These are decisions made for the team, and everyone knows we have many great players. We have to take these decisions.”Sometimes they might be viewed favourably, sometimes a little less.”Icardi scores a dramatic winner, referee gives a hilarious penalty to PSG”These are decisions one has to make for the team,” Pochettino told media postgame, according to a translation of his comments from French. Messi qui met un VENT titanesque à Pochettino… #PSGOL pic.twitter.com/zWatUMPxq1— zouna #PochettinoOut (@ZOUUNAAAA) September 19, 2021 “Everybody knows we have great players, but one has to make choices. Sometimes decisions are positive or not, but that’s why you have a manager: to make decisions. You can agree with a decision or not. I asked Messi how he was, and he said to me that he was OK, no problems.”Everybody knows that Messi is a great player. There are five subs, and it’s obvious that players never like to come off the field. One has to make decisions. I’m on the bench to make decisions. His reaction? Fine, no worries.”On the other hand, Messi was silent after the game, but the tiny Argentine won’t enjoy himself if this kind of Pochettino’s behaviour becomes a habit. And if PSG sporting director Leonardo Araujo and the chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi were put in front of a vital decision – coach or Messi – guess who’ll they vote for.It started with hugs and smiling, but… (©Xavier Laine/Getty Images)Someone should warn Poch of that. Paris seems too tiny for two Argentinians since last night.By: Bojan Babic
