spare its three stars, the puzzle of PSG

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Christophe Galtier has wealth problems. Under the tunic of PSG, Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé pile up the opportunities and the goals, and panic the statistics. Great architects of the club’s good start to the season, the three attackers have been on all the right paths since August.

But as the matches multiply, if the Parisian coach wants to reduce the risk of injury, he will have to rotate his line of attack. “This season is going to be particularly long, with many competitions that will follow one another. Rotating helps to avoid fatigue and injuries”recalls Luis Fernandez, former coach of the capital club.

But this turnover is not obvious as Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé have been carrying PSG since the start of the season. With 23 goals and 14 assists between them, they have been involved in 75% of Parisian achievements since the start of the season. The Argentinian is the outfield player who has played the most this season (88 minutes per game on average, 794 minutes in all), without missing a match. His Brazilian friend is not far behind (712 minutes), with only one match started on the bench. Kylian Mbappé, injured the first two games of the season, averages 83 minutes of play in the seven games in which he took part.

Behind the three stars, few players stand out as an alternative. Forced to slim down its workforce, the capital club let several attackers go during the transfer window (Arnaud Kalimuendo, Mauro Icardi, etc.). And in the “Elite” group in support of the pros, none of the players available to Christophe Galtier is a trained striker.

Of the three games missed by Mbappé then Neymar, it was Pablo Sarabia, back from loan at Sporting Portugal, who found himself in the starting lineup, without being decisive for the moment. Behind, the young Hugo Ekitike (20), who arrived this summer from Reims, grabs his first minutes of play with entries at the end of the match. “For now, these two players are alternatives”believes former coach Elie Baup. They are not on the same level as the three starters.”

Bringing them into the rotation would involve them a little more. “I’ve always been a supporter of turnover, it’s a good thing to integrate players, to make them all feel concerned and important”explains Luis Fernandez. It gives everyone motivation.”

If Christophe Galtier does not follow, for the moment, the advice of his distant predecessor on the PSG bench, he would still have liked to run against Brest on Saturday. “I had to put in the best attack to widen the gap quickly and make changes. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The rotation would have come quickly with two goals”, he said after the meeting. Because Christophe Galtier knows how to rotate his group, as he showed during Lille’s conquest of the French championship title in 2021, when he had wisely used a tight group of 21 elements in order to play on all fronts. .

In this context, the solution for the Parisian coach might be to work in pairs, instead of a complete turnover. A configuration already in place when one of the three players was absent. Neymar and Messi played together the Champions Trophy and the first day against Clermont, while the Argentinian played alongside Mbappé in Nantes. “It’s more practical than a full turnover, and it would allow them to continue to play, to some extent, together”, notes Elie Baup. And not enough to disturb the automatisms: each time, the PSG has largely imposed itself (4-0 and 5-0).

We can outline all the possibilities of changes for PSG, but the situation also depends on the mentality and ego of the players concerned. “It is certain that some appreciate less to start on the bench”, slide Luis Fernandez. “This can sometimes cause friction, and complicate the bearings.” The next challenge for Christophe Galtier is undoubtedly there.


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