'He needs others to run for him': Mauricio Pochettino on Lionel Messi ahead of World Cup final

Former Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino believes that the clamour surrounding Argentine superstar Lionel Messi's defensive work is silly and that he needs others to do the running for him.

"Honestly, I think the debate about Messi's defensive work is stale, almost silly,"Pochettino was quoted as saying by The Athletic.

The 50-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur manager cited the example of Maradona and Pele and said:"You can't pretend that Maradona or Pele - along with Messi, the most important players in football - were focused on trying to win the ball back. He can't participate in that. He just needs others to run for him."

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Ever since the two teams for the final were decided, questions were asked if Argentina's defensive line will be able to keep France's rapid wide players like Mbappe and Dembele quiet.

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In the front two where Messi and Alvarez play in manager Lionel Scaloni's system, France are expected to have Kylian Mbappe with fullback Theo Hernandez, bombing forward on the left flank.

However, with Messi not tracking back akin to modern players born and brought up in high-pressing systems, it is his teammates like Rodrigo de Paul that have to pick up the slack and ensure that Argentina are not hurt.

This has been the formula for Argentina's success this tournament. Messi has been allowed to occupy the half spaces across the pitch.

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It was perhaps one of the reasons why at the young age of 35 years, Messi was able to beat Gvardiol and manage to net himself a beautiful assist during the semifinal clash against Croatia.

"That's the most important thing about this Argentina team and the reason why they are in the final. It's because the players understand their roles perfectly. When you have Messi on your team, you must run for him," said Pochettino.

If Messi begins to track back and embroil himself in dirty, defensive work, Argentina's offensive output suffers as he is the lynchpin, pulling string from the middle of the park by dropping deep.

Argentina and France will square up against each other, later in the evening at the Lusail Stadium. While Les Bleus will be attempting to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to retain the World Cup trophy, Messi's men will be seeking to break a 36-year-old WC trophy drought.

(With inputs from agencies)

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