Does Mauro Icardi have Pastore syndrome? Who wants an Argentinian from Serie A who signs for PSG to have a good first part of the season before seeing his performances drop after the winter break? It is not yet a certainty, but it looks like it.
To say the former Inter Milan striker has been walking by his pumps since the start of the year is an understatement. With 6 goals in 2020 (20 in total this season), the 27-year-old has struggled to convince since January, so much so that Thomas Tuchel preferred Edinson Cavani to him during the double confrontation against Dortmund in the round of 16 of the League. champions. The Uruguayan party, Icardi returned to the game. Finally, to put it mildly, as his involvement in the PSG game system is close to nothing.
“Mauro's problem is that he's not a leader, he doesn't play for others. His role is just to score goals, and for that, he stays in the area, near the opposing goal (Editor's note: 9 balls touched against Lyon on Friday) , recalls Carlo Angioni, journalist who follows Inter Milan for the Gazzetta dello Sport. From the moment he doesn't score, it becomes a big problem. But I have no recollection of a long time he would have been silent when he was at Inter, other than his last year, but that's mainly because he was in conflict with the club. Normally he scores 20 to 25 goals per season, but if the ball doesn't come to him he's pretty helpless. "
Last Thursday, the day before the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, Thomas Tuchel did not want to add more. However, the German coach still wanted to warn his center forward. "He (Icardi) can play better, he must play better, but he is very important for us (Editor's note: the Argentinian is committed until 2024) , insisted the German coach. If you don't play enough for him, you can get the feeling that he's not in good shape. But it's not that. "
It's not that, but… The Argentinian, hit in the thigh without gravity Friday night, has been terribly borrowed for two games and seems to be suffering the physical repercussions of the four months of stoppage. Few calls, random timing, failed transmissions and hardly any shots on goal form a digest of his latest performances.
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“Over the last two games, I am left on my hunger but not only in relation to him. All the players lack juice, and Icardi is dependent on what is going on around him, confides Mickaël Madar, the former offensive player of PSG. Physically he's fair, and as he doesn't have balloons, he's a bit naked. Apart from Neymar, no player can tell the difference. The problem is that Mbappé (Editor's note: currently injured in the ankle) plays a lot for Neymar, and Neymar for Mbappé. And for an attacker, when you don't score, morally, it quickly becomes complicated. But I don't worry about a player like him. He will start scoring again. It remains to be seen when? August 12 would be an ideal date.