Beaten in their last two games before their round of 16 first leg of the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain will receive Bayern Munich without certainty on Tuesday.
Undefeated before the World Cup break, PSG, defeated in Monaco on Saturday February 11 (3-1), have suffered four losses since the start of 2023. Deprived of his eleven type because of multiple injuries, Christophe Galtier is struggling to line up a team with enough automatisms and said to himself “worried” at a press conference. These negative results (three defeats, one draw in the last ten games, all competitions combined) are beginning to annoy the supporters, who have asked Louis II for their team to “wake” and of “wet the jersey”. In contrast, Bayern Munich is gaining momentum with three consecutive victories and twelve goals scored in total.
Worrying things:
Young players with unequal contribution
In the absence of executives like Kylian Mbappé, Lionel Messi or Marco Verratti, Christophe Galtier must deal with a limited bench. He therefore gives playing time to young players trained at the club, but not all of them yet meet his expectations. Paradoxically, the youngest of them, Warren Zaire-Emery, 16, is the one who shows the most confidence on the pitch (two goals scored, against Montpellier and Monaco). His teammates El Chadaille Bitshiabu or Timothée Pembélé, holders against Monaco, were in difficulty, with in particular a loss of ball from the first, near his surface, which brought the second Monegasque goal.
Difficult to overwhelm them because of their lack of experience since they are thrown into the deep end during posters against the best teams in Ligue 1. Hugo Ekitike, expected as Kylian Mbappé’s understudy, does not yet meet expectations. He still doesn’t provide enough depth, and is struggling to be found by his teammates.
A lack of desire
“Mentally on the state of mind and the ingredients that we must have on this kind of meetings, we almost, declared Christophe Galtier after the match against OM on Wednesday. Players have to put in a big effort on a mental level to gain aggression and win a lot more duels in the heart of the game.” The message was clear, but was not applied against Monaco, where the Parisians were overwhelmed with envy. A lack of aggressiveness combined with swings in concentration, which made the coach “furious”. “Our start to the match is catastrophic, then we have hope by scoring this goal, but we take a third before the break because we are completely unbalanced. And in the second half, there was no of reaction since we do not attempt any shots”he lamented at the microphone of Prime Video.
Uncertainties around the group
What names will Christophe Galtier be able to put on the score sheet against Bayern Munich? “We are doing with the current forces. It’s weird to say that while being at PSG, but there are a lot of absentees, not just anyone”, he regretted on Prime Video. The coach assured that no risk would be taken concerning Kylian Mbappé, still injured in the thigh, and that a point would be made on Monday concerning Lionel Messi, who will resume training on Sunday or Monday. A virus worries behind the scenes, since some players were affected by gastric problems on Saturday before the meeting, including Fabian Ruiz, removed from the match sheet.
Reasons for satisfaction:
Reassuring performances for Gianluigi Donnarumma
Despite the three goals conceded, Gianluigi Donnarumma had a great game at the Louis II stadium. Without the Italian goalkeeper, author of seven stops, the addition could have been much more severe for PSG. The former AC Milan goalkeeper distinguished himself with reflex saves on two attempts by Ruben Aguilar in the first half hour, a duel won against Aleksandr Golovin to maintain hope before the third Monegasque goal (41st) , and two new parades at the end of the match in front of Breel Embolo (83rd) and Takumi Minamino (90th +1).
Presnel Kimpembe back
Injured in the Achilles tendon in November, Presnel Kimpembe returned to the pitch in Monaco. Entering in the 80th minute, he was solid in the duels. At the end of the meeting, accompanied by a physical trainer, he still ran alone. His return will give Christophe Galtier the opportunity to reinstate a three-man defense, with Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos, a system that worked so well for the invincible PSG in the first part of the season. Unless the Parisian coach prefers to keep his central hinge with two players, to be able to alternate and give rest to his defenders in a prosperous calendar.