Messi and Busquets Not Moving to Miami for a Holiday

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Clermont - Parc de Princes, Paris, France - June 3, 2023  Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi reacts REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Clermont - Parc de Princes, Paris, France - June 3, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi reacts REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
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Messi and Busquets Not Moving to Miami for a Holiday

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Clermont - Parc de Princes, Paris, France - June 3, 2023  Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi reacts REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - Paris St Germain v Clermont - Parc de Princes, Paris, France - June 3, 2023 Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi reacts REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

Newly appointed Inter Miami coach Gerardo Martino says there is no question of Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets moving to South Florida to chill on South Beach.

Instead, says the Argentine who was appointed on Wednesday, the pair are coming to Miami to fight for titles, AFP said.

Martino, former coach of Messi with Barcelona and Argentina, said he had spoken to the seven-times Ballon d'Or winner and former Spain midfielder Busquets about their impending move to the Major League Soccer club

"Sometimes in our world you associate the United States and Miami with holidays. And it’s not that. They are coming to compete," he told a press conference on Thursday.

"They are coming from winning world titles, Spanish league titles. They are not going to relax. They will compete because it is in their blood," he said.

Martino takes over Miami with the club bottom of the Eastern Conference having lost their last seven games. They are ranked 27th out of the 29 clubs in MLS.

The former Mexico and Atlanta United coach said there was still the chance to salvage something from this season, however.

"One is to see if we can make the playoffs. Right now that seems like a stretch, but as long as we have the possibility we can’t stop trying," he said.

"We are in a good place in the US Open Cup, and now there’s a new tournament, Leagues Cup, that we will aim for. After that, the goal is to build for 2024," added the coach known as 'Tata'.

Sporting Director Chris Henderson said the club would be making more changes to their squad in the coming weeks.

“Come late August we’re going to have a different look. This will give the opportunity for Tata and his staff to work with the players in a new way.

"It feels like a new beginning for the club and we’re going to do everything we can to rise up the table game by game," he added.

Martino won MLS Cup in 2018 with Atlanta United and said he was well aware of what awaited him in the North American league.

"I see a league that is always evolving, a league that has a lot of rules, but they are very clear," he said.

"It is very level for all the teams, the system of budgets and draft allows all teams at the start to have the same aspirations.

"I like the complexity of the cold of one place, rain of another, heat of another. All that makes you as a coach have to think about more than just managing what happens on the field," he said.

But Martino believes Messi will transform MLS.

"That the world’s greatest player decides to play in this league, evidently it will open an even greater scenario of growth," he said.



Paris Saint-Germain Looks to Clinch a Record-extending 13th French League Title

(FILES) A photograph taken on November 23, 2020 shows a logo of Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
(FILES) A photograph taken on November 23, 2020 shows a logo of Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
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Paris Saint-Germain Looks to Clinch a Record-extending 13th French League Title

(FILES) A photograph taken on November 23, 2020 shows a logo of Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
(FILES) A photograph taken on November 23, 2020 shows a logo of Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on the eve of the UEFA Champions League Group H football match between Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)

The one-sided Ligue 1 title race could end on Saturday, with Paris Saint-Germain needing only a draw at home against Angers to clinch a record-extending 13th crown.

PSG's massive 21-point lead means it would have to lose the next seven games and Monaco win them all to overtake the Parisians, who are unbeaten in 27 league games, the Associated Press said.

PSG could finish the league campaign unbeaten, although coach Luis Enrique's side still has to play Nice and has a tricky match away to Strasbourg, with both opponents locked in a tight battle to qualify for next season's Champions League.

This season's Champions League, too, is in Luis Enrique’s thoughts.

Good time to rest players? With a quarterfinal first-leg match against Aston Villa coming up in Paris on Wednesday, PSG can afford to rest several key players against Angers. Coach Alexandre Dujeux's side is 14th and has lost four straight league games without scoring a goal, conceding 11.

However, Enrique is not fond of squad rotation so may field close to a full-strength team at Parc des Princes.

How can PSG lose a game? It is hard to see how, given that PSG has not dropped any points since a 1-1 draw at home to Reims on Jan. 25, winning eight straight games.

A glimmer of hope for PSG's remaining opponents is that the team starts slowly and is prone to conceding early goals.

PSG fell behind early against Saint-Etienne last weekend, and it trailed 2-0 within 27 minutes to second-tier Dunkerque in the French Cup semifinal on Tuesday. PSG ended up winning both matches and scoring 10 goals in the process, but there is still a significant weakness against set-pieces and crosses.

Rosenior makes his mark One of the biggest success stories this season has been Strasbourg's remarkable rise to sixth place under English coach Liam Rosenior.

Even more so considering it is his first season, and that he had only two weeks of preseason preparation with his new players.

Led by striker Emanuel Emegha (12 goals), the Alsace-based side has lost only once in the past 14 league games to join the chase for a Champions League spot.

Rosenior's team is on a four-game winning run heading into Sunday’s trip to play relegation-threatened Reims. It is one point behind fourth-place Nice and three behind third-place Marseille, with the top four qualifying.

“I will never stop my players dreaming,” Rosenior said about making the Champions League. “Of course it's possible.”

He'll find out soon enough.

Strasbourg has back-to-back games against Nice and Monaco this month and, with the race so tight, may need to beat PSG on May 4.

Marseille is in a slump Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi was fuming with his players after last Saturday's 3-1 loss at struggling Reims.

So was midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who questioned the attitude of his teammates.

With good reason, as Marseille's third straight defeat allowed Monaco to move into second place.

But De Zerbi may want to look a bit deeper. Perhaps he should not have allowed his players to get so carried away when, after beating Lyon 3-2 in February, they embarked on a lap of honor and posed for a giant team photo as if they'd won a trophy.

Marseille has lost four out of seven games since. Fans will be looking for a home win against Toulouse on Sunday.