“It’s a communication error on my part”: Galtier returns to Kimpembe and the vice-captainate of PSG

by time news

Before welcoming Reims on Sunday, Christophe Galtier took stock of the state of his group and the busy schedule that awaited PSG in February. In a press conference, he notably mentioned a need in the offensive sector following the departure of Pablo Sarabia and the functioning of the captaincy.

How are you approaching this February marathon and can you take stock of the absences?

CHRISTOPHER GALTIER. Kimpembe has resumed the race, he will join collective training in a few days, we will see how he feels. He needs rehabilitation work. Nordi Mukiele is in care, he works a lot indoors. I don’t think he can get back to working with the band this week. We recover Marco Verratti who is available in the group, his feelings are good, he did the sessions in their entirety.

The calendar is like this. We’re not going to look for excuses. The previous matches served us well, in Riyadh and in the Coupe de France, it was important that a lot of players played. We also did full training sessions. We know that from Sunday, we will have less time to work on the details, the principles of the game, the sessions will be on recovery, shorter.

How do you explain the difference in level between Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and that of PSG?

He had a very good World Cup but also a very good first part of the season during which he adapted to different systems. He was sometimes very decisive. He is a player on whom I count a lot, I am satisfied with his first part of the season. I watched carefully his performances with the national team. He knows and I know he can do even better. He is competitive. I’m sure we will have a very high level Ashraf in the second part.

The departure of Keylor Navas would be a good idea?

The transfer window ends in four days. I’m very focused on the game. Keylor is a great competitor, Exemplary on the job since the start of the season, he was appointed goalkeeper for the Cup, I have confidence in him. There is also what he feels, the management is very attentive to what Keylor wants to do. We will see the day after the transfer window the reality of the workforce. With regard to the man and his career, we must respect him and listen to him. No decision has been made regarding his future.

What areas did you work on before this marathon and the Champions League?

A lot of work on the offensive animation which has been less good lately, especially in the league. We worked a lot on the ability to react to the loss of the ball to prevent the opponent from getting organized to get the ball out. We also worked athletically.

Have your players pushed you around, chambered, because you only gave them one day off instead of 2?

Pushed? I am physically fine. It was a big moment. A few weeks ago, I decided that we were going to give two days of recovery after the Cup match, but we only had that period to work on. I told them Friday or Saturday before the session that I had changed my decision, that they would only have a day and a half instead of two days. It seemed to me that it was important. They made me laugh a lot, it was a good moment of connection with the players. On the other hand, after this fun and the explanations of this change, the training sessions were very good.

What impact does the calendar have on the organization and management of the workforce?

We will see how to recover the players, during playing time and the day after the matches. We worked with the performance cell and the medical staff to arrange travel as best as possible, on training schedules, to take advantage of every moment to recover. This requires a change of schedules so that players can sleep better. There will be a lot of movement. But, above all, you have to perform and win.

What is your opinion on Ryan Cherki and does a new player have to arrive before the end of the transfer window?

It’s a long question that will generate a short answer. Of course a lot is said during the transfer window, transfer window issues are in the hands of the president and Luis Campos. I’m focused on the upcoming game. If there was a departure, it had to be compensated. This departure took place in the offensive sector (Pablo Sarabia), we are looking for a player for this position. We’ll see if it will be such and such, or no one. I never talked about defensive reinforcements. It would be good if we could compensate for the departure in the offensive sector. We have a need in this sector.

After Kimpembe’s reaction on Twitter, how does the captaincy and vice-captaincy work at PSG?

Mea culpa, it’s a miscommunication on my part. Kylian is one of the vice-captains of this group. We have a captain and four vice-captains who are Kimpembe, Kylian, Marco Verratti, Sergio Ramos. Whenever Kimpembe has been on the pitch and Marquinhos hasn’t, Kim has been captain. The criterion of seniority is important. In Lens, Kim and Marco weren’t there, Kylian was there. He is not a vice-captain, he is one of the vice-captains. I prefer face-to-face conversations. I saw Kim’s tweet, I had a talk with him, not an update, to explain the situation to him.

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