Messi relishing reunion with PSG, Enrique

MIAMI — Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano is hoping that Lionel Messi's memories of his unhappy time at Paris Saint-Germain will fire him up for Sunday's clash between the two sides at the Club World Cup.

Miami was a surprise qualifier from Group A after beating Porto and drawing with Palmeiras and Al Ahly, and now faces the daunting task of playing the recently crowned European champion.

Messi joined Miami after two seasons in the French capital, and made it clear he had not enjoyed his time with PSG.

"It's clear that it would better for us if he was angry, because he's one of those players who, when he has something in mind, gives a bit extra," Mascherano told ESPN.

The Argentine coach was clear, though, that the emotions will be more tempered than if Messi was up against PSG on European soil, rather than facing his old team in Atlanta.

"I think that's in the past now, it's another story. Also, the fact that it's here in the United States, I don't think the atmosphere will be the same, but what we will try to do is to play a great game.

"We know that, in order to have a chance, we have to play a perfect game, and well, we'll go for it," he said.

After joining Major League Soccer outfit Miami, Messi reflected on his time in Paris, saying it had been "difficult".

"I spent two years that I didn't enjoy. I wasn't happy on a day-today basis, with the training sessions, the games, I found it hard to adapt to all that," he said.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner will face a very different PSG to the one that he left, with the club having been transformed under Spanish coach Luis Enrique.

Enrique is a familiar face for several of the Miami team who played under him at Barcelona.

'He's the best'

Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Messi and Mascherano all featured for Enrique's Barca, winning the treble under him in 2015.

"I've said it infinite times: For me, he's the best — I think not just as a coach, but also how he manages the group," said Alba, who also worked with Enrique on the Spanish national team.

"He's a phenomenon. I'm excited to see him, as well as his entire staff. I'll give him a hug, but when the ref blows the opening whistle, I'll try to beat him, which is what all of us here are trying to do," added the left-back.

Suarez, who scored in the 2-2 draw with Palmeiras on Monday, was also full of praise for the Spanish coach.

"For me, along with Maestro (Oscar) Tabarez of the (Uruguay) national team, he was the most important coach of my career, for what they taught me, for what I learned in the day-to-day with him," he said.

"He's a coach who influenced me greatly. I already had a competitive DNA, but he injected even more into me. He taught me how to move within a space, where I had to play a role I wasn't used to, not touching the ball a lot ... Not to mention on a personal level, a relationship of great respect and admiration for what he generated for us as players."

Mascherano, in his first club coaching job, said he remains a personal friend of the PSG coach and his family.

"That is the beautiful thing about football sometimes. You face these kinds of things and, well, in my opinion, I do not deserve this as a coach just yet. But, yes, it will be a very beautiful opportunity. I always wish him all the best; that won't be the case on Sunday. I hope luck will be on our side. But, yes, I have a very good relationship with him. I appreciate him a lot," he said.

AFP