Mauricio Pochettino has revealed how his former Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi “never goes in the middle” of rondos during training sessions.
The rondo is a training drill in which a group of players in close proximity pass the ball to each other, while a teammate will go into the middle of the group and attempt to intercept the pass and win the ball back. Whoever loses possession has to go into the middle.
Coaches believe the exercise improves player’s decision-making, coordination, team play, creativity, competitiveness, and physical conditioning. Pochettino – who also suggested that Kylian Mbappe wanted to leave the club last year to join Real Madrid – was in favour of them at PSG.
Speaking in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Pochettino explained: “Let us talk about the rondos in training: Messi almost never goes in the middle, because he is never wrong. Neymar is always in the middle. Leo finds pleasure in simplicity, Ney in difficulty.”
Pochettino then went on to discuss Messi’s status in Argentina on the eve of the 2022 World Cup kicking-off. The tournament is set to be the superstar’s last chance to finally land the one major title that has eluded him throughout his career.
“Remarkable energy has been generated in Argentina,” added Pochettino. “People feel that Leo deserves the world title even more than the country does. In Argentina, a fear has seized him: time passes and there is a risk that Messi will not win the World Cup, so now everyone has put themselves at his disposal to achieve a victory that has not occurred since 1986.”
Have Your Say! Can Messi lead Argentina to World Cup glory this year? Tell us what you think here.
It has been over three and a half decades since the South American nation lifted world football’s most coveted prize, when they were inspired by the late Diego Maradona. Pochettino – who was a teammate of the icon at Newell’s Old Boys – has described the differences between Maradona and Messi.
Pochettino explained: “Leo suffers differently than Diego. He internalizes things, keeps them to himself. Diego was impulsive, reactive. Leo is cautious when it comes to opening up emotionally in public and that sometimes plays a trick because people want to see their heroes cry, despair, argue, fight.
“And Diego was like that. He did what he felt inside all the time. Leo is reserved, introverted, he thinks and reflects more, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't feel things, absolutely, I assure you. He has a different way of communicating and you have to respect him. Also because he is the best in the world.”
