[ad_1]
By STEVE DOUGLAS, AP Sports activities Author
Lionel Messi is again in supreme type, simply in time for the World Cup.
With 12 objectives in his final 10 video games for his membership and his nation, the Argentina ahead is delivering his greatest run of performances since becoming a member of Paris Saint-Germain after an emotional departure from Barcelona within the offseason of 2021.
The stats communicate for themselves: Seven objectives within the French league, greater than he had in his whole first season at PSG; 4 objectives in 4 video games within the Champions League; 9 objectives in his final three video games for Argentina, together with all 5 in a rout of Estonia in June.
His newest — in PSG’s 4-3 win over Troyes on Saturday — was simply traditional Messi.
Political Cartoons
Drifting deeper and away from defenders as his teammates handed the ball round, Messi someway created area for himself exterior the penalty space.
Wanting over his shoulder earlier than the ball arrived at his ft, he knew he had time to take one contact then nudge it ahead earlier than unleashing a fierce, low drive from 25 meters (yards) into the nook. Messi celebrated with an enormous fist pump.
It’s not simply the sheer weight of objectives and even assists — he has a competition-high 9 within the French league and three extra within the Champions League — that’s reviving recollections of Messi in his Barcelona prime.
It’s the fashion he’s doing it in. And with a smile on his face, too.
Messi is having fun with his soccer once more, having just lately acknowledged that final season — his first in France — was “dangerous” whereas he tailored to a brand new membership after 21 years at Barcelona and all of the feelings that got here with leaving his house of 20 years.
“I arrived with a unique mindset,” Messi stated in September about his return to PSG forward of this season, “extra tailored to the membership, to the locker room, to the sport, to my teammates.”
The World Cup definitely focuses the thoughts. Particularly when, as is definitely the case with Messi, it’s your final one and it’s the event that, to some, might outline your legacy.
The 35-year-old Messi can also be in a superb place with Argentina, the point of interest of a well-balanced staff assembled by coach Lionel Scaloni that has gone 35 video games with out defeat. That run takes in a title-winning marketing campaign in final yr’s Copa America — Argentina’s first main title in 28 years — and a 3-0 victory over Italy within the Finalissima on June 1.
Messi didn’t rating that day in opposition to Italy at Wembley Stadium however he ran the sport. A couple of days later, he produced that five-goal displaying in opposition to Estonia.
It was an indication Messi was again.
Marcus Rashford hasn’t performed for England since final yr’s European Championship closing in opposition to Italy, when he got here on as a late substitute and was one in every of three gamers to fail to attain in a penalty-shootout loss.
Might his subsequent look for his nation be on the World Cup?
Rashford is making a late run on the squad after regaining his full health and confidence underneath just lately employed supervisor Erik ten Hag at Manchester United, and scoring in his final two video games. His most up-to-date purpose was the winner in opposition to West Ham within the Premier League on Sunday and it got here in entrance of England coach Gareth Southgate, who was at Previous Trafford to observe the match.
After the sport, Rashford stated he has regained his motivation after struggling final season due to off-the-field causes.
“Too usually final season, I wasn’t in the correct head area for video games,” Rashford stated.
Rashford’s bid to get again within the England squad may need been helped by an harm to Bukayo Saka, a competitor for one of many spots on the wing on both aspect of striker Harry Kane. Saka was compelled off with an unspecified harm within the first half of Arsenal’s 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Arsenal supervisor Mikel Arteta stated Saka obtained a “dangerous kick” however remained hopeful of constructing the World Cup.
Fears that Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer could miss the World Cup with a shoulder harm have been eased by Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann.
The 35-year-old Neuer hasn’t performed in any of Bayern’s final six video games and in addition is about to overlook Tuesday’s match in opposition to Inter Milan within the Champions League.
Nonetheless, Nagelsmann stated Neuer “had no points throughout and after coaching” on Monday and is hoping to play in opposition to Hertha Berlin within the German league on Saturday.
Neuer is Germany’s captain.
AP World Cup protection: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials will not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
[ad_2]
Source link
