Why is Lionel Messi finding it hard to score in Ligue 1?

The Argentinian has not scored a single goal in the domestic league after the summer move to PSG.

In an ideal world, Paris Saint-Germain would be flying high with the mercurial front trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr., and Kylian Mbappe scoring goals for fun. However, reality has overridden and the expected start has not simply happened. Neymar Jr.'s irregularities, as well as everlasting Mbappe to Real Madrid rumors, were coupled with something rare – Messi's struggle to score in the league. A move from Barcelona was unexpected, and so were the struggles that Messi has had so far.

Arguably still the best player in the world, Messi's lack of domestic goals does not only represent his individual struggle. Star-studded PSG, under Pochettino, are yet to finalize their perfect combination. Here are the individual and tactical factors that have invited a rare goal drought for the Argentinian:

Injuries and rustic finishing

One of the strongholds of Lionel Messi over the years, in addition to his exceptional abilities, has been his consistency. The six-time Ballon d'Or winner has maintained a seemingly impressive career in terms of avoiding injuries. Messi's consistency in performance, despite being at the receiving end of reckless challenges started with his ability to be fit.

After making a startling move to the French champions, Messi's regularity has been a concern so far. He has played the full 90 minutes only twice in the league so far. After missing the first set of matches following the transfer, Messi is yet to play minutes equivalent to four full domestic matches. He has accumulated just 329 minutes while the Parisian side have already contested 13 matches in the league so far.

The end-product of Lionel Messi in front of goal has followed a similar pattern of irregularity as well. Despite having a cumulative xG of 1.83, he is yet to score a single goal in Ligue 1. Glancing at this metric from previous seasons suggest his ability to be clinical in front of goal. On his new side, however, some moments have been purely out of luck, while the others fall on the weaker side of things.

Less involvement on the ball

After assembling a side brimming with talent, PSG's biggest challenge remains to be integrating a packed front three to their own advantage. Having three world class attackers ensures equal distribution of risk. However, it also increases the chances of the trio underperforming due to lack of coordination. That has partly been the case so far this season.

Narrowing down on Lionel Messi, he has not been as involved in the pitch as his Barcelona days. As per FBref, the Argentinian talisman averages 48.9 touches per 90 this season in Ligue 1 compared to 59.2 per 90 in LaLiga 2020/21. One of the major factors in his lack of involvement can be traced back to the trio up front. In a way, Messi's responsibility has been distributed. This allows him fewer touches as well as compromising on his individual involvement.

As a result, the Argentinian is not able to be at the shot-taking position decreasing his chances of scoring. This has also added to the perennial challenge of adapting to a new system at a foreign club.

The tactical positioning

Enjoying his freedom in the middle of the pitch at Barcelona, Lionel Messi used to be at the receiving end, or at least the most involved one, in the area. At PSG, the case is not as simple. Despite starting from the left, Neymar also tends to drift centrally to occupy the same position as Messi. This overlap has so far produced some fine moments, yet has impacted more on the individual side. Consequently, Messi's positioning has skewed towards the vertical center of the pitch compared to the last season.

Looking at Messi's heatmap from the 2020/21 season shows two distinct changes. Lionel Messi was more involved in and around the box, as well as had the majority of his involvements in the final third. Most of his shot-creating actions came from the middle (the large red patch) as shown below. Comparing it to his heatmap in PSG so far, his involvement is towards the right side of the pitch, and not as close to the goal. Being a player that can both score and create opportunities, this deviation has impacted a lot as well.

Increased defensive involvement

If any attacker in the world had the freedom not to chase the ball in the final third, it would be Lionel Messi. However, that is simply not the case anymore. PSG's first choice attackers- Mbappe, Neymar, and Messi- are not prolifically known for their off-the-ball duties in the first line. As a result, to compensate for that, Pochettino has been particularly more demanding. Messi is more involved, as a result of that.

The bigger observation is not only the increase in pressure, but the shift in the area that Messi was involved in the press. Relieved of his pressing duties, most of Messi's off-the-ball activities came in the attacking third. However, the trend has shifted to the middle third this season. The former Barcelona star averages 4.72 pressures in the middle third, compared to 3.66 per 90 in the last season. In the defensive third too, Messi's pressures have increased from 0.3 to 1.67 per 90.

In addition to the shift, Messi's number of tackles per 90 has increased, and they come in the middle third too. While Lionel Messi has shown instances where he could create moments just walking around the attacking third, his distance from the area has severely hit his tendency to land in goals. In addition, having a ball runner like Mbappe has shifted Pochettino's side to make the French star to be at the receiving end on the breaks. All of these factors, in one way or the other, have resulted in Lionel Messi struggling to get on the Ligue 1 scoresheet.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook