Paris Saint-Germain Football Club head coach Mauricio Pochettino has stepped forward to defend his actions during his club’s recent game with Lyon, when he substituted Lionel Messi well into the match before the footballer had a chance to score, goal.com reports.
The score in Sunday match was 1-1 when Messi got taken out, about 75 minutes into the game, though PSG did eventually manage to clutch a win thanks to a goal by Mauro Icardi.
According to the media outlet, when Pochettino was asked about his decision, he replied that everyone knows that PSG has "great players on the team".
"We have a very rich squad of 35 players. Then we have to make choices. With the 11 who must start. And then we have to make decisions during the game", he elaborated. "Sometimes these choices pay off and sometimes they don't. But that's why we're standing in front of the bench thinking about what to do. And those decisions that you have to make, whether things go well or not. Whether you like it or not."
Noting that Messi has yet to score for PSG, the media outlet also argued that Pochettino’s aforementioned decision would probably have "faced more scrutiny" if his team were to not win the game.