Only two days after the elimination in the Coupe de France against OM, PSG must already continue this weekend, with a trip to Monaco, this Saturday afternoon (5 p.m.). Christophe Galtier, present at a press conference, confirmed Lionel Messi’s package for this meeting. The Parisian coach calls on his men to regain aggressiveness on the pitch, an area in which his team failed on the lawn of the Vélodrome.
Can you give any news of the injured?
CHRISTOPHER GALTIER. Kylian is taking care of himself. The club mentioned an estimated unavailability of three weeks. Leo (Messi) felt muscle fatigue, he will return to training on Monday on the eve of Bayern. You can dismiss the fact that he is uncertain. There is no embarrassment concerning Achraf, he worked indoors to eliminate fatigue. He is available for tomorrow’s game.
Does the bad luck stick to PSG?
There are sequences of matches, what happens in a season, you have a squad at your disposal that seems balanced. And then patatra, there is fatigue. These injuries happen when there are sequences of matches. Without looking for an excuse, with a World Cup in the middle, organizations are tired. It’s part of a period in a season that coaches have to manage. It’s up to me to find freshness, to have a team that is both efficient, and that the players manage to be available on this important series.
How detrimental can Messi’s absence be?
We know the importance of Leo in our game, he is the facilitator, the best technical relay, he is a scorer, he has been decisive on many occasions. With his absence it may be necessary to play in a different way to have a more compact frame and to use the qualities of each other. When you go to Monaco without Leo, it’s always annoying, it’s part of a calendar, of a season. It’s always difficult to have your players in 50 or 60 games.
In what mental state did you find your players after the elimination against OM?
Very affected in the locker room, very affected after the match, very affected yesterday. Many players were in recovery. In this period, we must avoid long speeches, but we must also show what did not work. You have to have clarity. There is disappointment and when there is disappointment, there is no point in getting angry. You have to have a very cool head to give the best possible instructions so that she can get back on her feet.
What is your cold analysis of this match against OM?
There was enough freshness on the ground to continue. On a mental level, we have failed in this area. I do not mind that we think about how we should animate the offensive sector, but we arrive in a calendar where we play intense teams. We have to answer there. We have the technical quality but for the moment we do not find this aggressiveness and the players must make a big mental effort to gain in aggression and win many more duels in the heart of the game.
Do you lack warriors in your team?
We lost something important by dint of being in possession of the ball and playing, that’s the observation I make about the OM match: we lost the battle in the middle. You can’t suffer so many lost duels in such a meeting. It’s a Coupe de France match, against OM, we know the importance of such a match. On the analysis that I have of the match, we lost a lot of duels. It’s fine to want to play and you have to play, but at some point, the middle battle is essential and we lost it. We have this responsibility.
Are you considering a squad review against Monaco and starting Zaire-Emery?
Carry out a total squad review when we go to Monaco… We are not in a preparation match. I am very satisfied with Warren’s entries. We must bring competition if a young player of 16 and a half seems to me more able to play than others, he will play.
Does Mbappé have a slim chance of playing against Bayern?
The player’s health comes first and I will be very vigilant, especially since the season is still long.
What kind of game can we expect this Saturday?
The same as in Marseille with different characteristics. They had come with a big pressing, a very strong individual marking. They have a nice offensive animation. This is a team that can always be dangerous. We will have a difficult match but I hope we will also make it difficult and not show the same face as at the Vélodrome.