Ligue 1 2022-23: 'Important to have Messi back at the heart of our game' - Galtier after PSG trumps Angers

Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, fresh from the 2022 FIFA World Cup victory in Qatar, is back for club business. On Wednesday, he returned for French champion Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) during the 2022-23 Ligue 1 encounter against relegation-threatened Angers at home. It was a successful outing for him, as the hosts won 2-0. While Hugo Ekitike scored the opener in the fifth minute through Nordi Mukiele's assist, the Argentine doubled the lead with his winner in the 72nd, thanks to another assist from Mukiele. At the same time, the Parisians' head coach Christophe Galtier expressed his delight following the return of the WC-winning star.

After the triumph over Angers, Galtier registered, "Thank you to our supporters for welcoming him in the way that they did. That means a lot to him. Our fans also got behind him when the game was difficult. Messi has recovered well. He has had quite a few training sessions back with us now. He seemed lighter and in perfect physical shape."

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"Of course, the team is different with and without Messi. He also scored an important goal for us tonight. We all know he loves scoring goals. He is the sort of player who needs goals. I spoke to him at half-time to see how he felt, and he said he felt good. It is important to have Messi back at the heart of our game. The fact that he played 90 minutes is even better," added Galtier, reports FotMob.

Galtier was also asked about the unique 3-4-2-1 formation he went in for the contest, as he explained, "It was for this game, based on how we prepared. I felt it would not work in the way we had prepared. I also spoke to my players and staff about our options, and we took a different one."