The name had filtered for several weeks but the formalization was slow. Christophe Galtier was appointed Tuesday, July 5, at the head of Paris Saint-Germain by the president of the club, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi. Dressed in a gray suit and tie, his face closed and focused, the technician answered questions from journalists for thirty minutes. Franceinfo: sport summarizes the main points of the first speech by the new PSG coach.
“No player is above the group”
On several occasions during the press conference, Christophe Galtier warned “that no player would be above the group”, specifying that the president of the club supported him on this point. He said he was ready to “impose” its decisions, leaving no room for compromise. “I know that I will have the support of everyone to make a decision as soon as a player does not comply with the project. (…) My objective is to make this sum of talents become a great team. with great strength. I am determined to ensure that the team is very united, determined, demanding to have the greatest season possible. If players come out of this framework, they will be dismissed.”
“There will be no player above the team,” warns Christophe Galtier. “My goal is for this sum of talent to become a great team with great strength. If there are players who come out of this framework, they will be discarded.” pic.twitter.com/So8R6ofIy9
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) July 5, 2022
The Neymar case
After a gap of a few seconds, Christophe Galtier answered a journalist’s question about the place he wanted to offer Neymar, while rumors have been announcing for a few days the interest of other clubs to recruit him. “Neymar is a world-class player. What coach would not like to have Neymar in his squad? (…) I have a very precise idea of what I expect from him but I will wait to meet him. I will listen to him. I want him to stay with us, because a world-class player is always better with us than with others.”
Galtier able to manage egos? “These are above all players who want to win. I have met locker rooms where there were a lot of egos. It’s a privilege to have a workforce of this level”, for Christophe Galtier. “No compromise on the common project.” pic.twitter.com/joyOsjuMbw
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) July 5, 2022
Clarify the place of the guards
While last season, Mauricio Pochettino alternately placed in goal Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas, Christophe Galtier has announced that he wants to reintroduce a hierarchy among goalkeepers. “I’m going to meet them very quickly. As a matter of principle, I appoint a number 1 and a number 2, even if number 2 can change to number 1 at some point. I find it easier.”
A new game system
Without detailing, Christophe Galtier said he was thinking about a new game system, confirming the orientation towards a three-man defense. “I haven’t met the players yet, but I’ve spoken to the sports management about it. I want to see rhythm, intensity, that the players are able to recover the ball very high to put pressure on the opponent. “The system will be designed according to the workforce. I want to put the players in the best possible position, and for that I will have to make them play to their strengths.”
The Galtier style? “Above all, you have to win,” replies the new PSG coach, who also wants to “play well”. unbelievable.” He has yet to meet the players. pic.twitter.com/NDyfd48og5
— franceinfo (@franceinfo) July 5, 2022
The relationship with Luis Campos
Christophe Galtier acknowledged that the “presence of Luis Campos at PSG”as a football adviser, had been a “determining element” in his decision to join the Parisian club. The two men worked together in Lille, notably allowing Losc to become champion of France. Trusting Luis Campos to manage the transfer window, the new PSG coach recalled “that no player had arrived without his agreement“when they collaborated in the North.
“The way to work with Luis is that there is no compromise. It’s respect, work, demand and the team above all else. (…) When things don’t I don’t like, before my intervention, I will discuss with Luis. I don’t make a decision without taking his opinion and discussing it with him.”
A Marseillais in Paris
Asked about his Marseille origins, the former Nice coach brushed off the remark. “I’m a Paris Saint-Germain coach. Yes, I was born in Marseille, that’s a fact. But when you do a job of passion and you’re looking for the best place to win the biggest trophy, there’s no there is no better place than PSG. I put aside my Marseille origins. And know that for quite a few weeks already, my days and my nights have been devoted to PSG.
In his introductory remarks, the new Parisian coach also expressed his joy at the idea of taking the reins of the French champion club. “To tell you that I am moved, yes. To tell you that I am proud, yes. (…) I measure the responsibility given to me for PSG to have a great season. If I accepted this position, it’s that I can do it. But alone, it’s very difficult, together we are much stronger.”
After the press conference, Christophe Galtier was to meet part of his team for the first time. Some members of the Parisian workforce have indeed already put their suitcases in the capital, such as Neymar, Lionel Messi or Marquinhos, while the deadline for returning from vacation is set for July 11.