Paris Saint-Germain’s performance has been deemed “unacceptable” by Christophe Galtier as the champions attempt to keep their lead atop Ligue 1 from being reduced once more.
PSG, who has already been eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich, is only six points ahead of Lens in second place after losing their previous two home games against Rennes and Lyon.
Galtier has made his feelings known to PSG’s star-studded team ahead of a trip to his former team Nice, who haven’t lost since early January.
“We have prepared well for Nice,” he said at a press conference. “I spoke to my players the day after the [Lyon] game and I asked them to be more committed and show more personality.
“We also need to be more respectful of instructions during games. That relates to our setup and commitment, which were not enough.”
He added: “We know we need to do more, and I mean everyone, including me. We need to do much more. We need to play better football and show more personality.
“We also need to be proud because at PSG, we need to perform well in every game, and the current situation is unacceptable… When the players are on the same page and are fully committed throughout the game, we know we can perform very well.”
8 – Paris have lost eight of their 18 games in 2023 in all competitions, their highest tally of defeats after 18 games in a calendar year since 2001 (9). Drifting. #PSGOL pic.twitter.com/3Li3apWw95
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) April 2, 2023
Having only lost four games in the whole of 2022, PSG have already been beaten eight times in 2023, leaving Galtier’s future shrouded in doubt.
But the 56-year-old insists he is not feeling the pressure.
“Of course, when we lose, and that was the eighth one and it was a significant one, it is not about pressure,” he said. “It is about analysing that moment and getting the analysis right so that there are no excuses.
“As to whether I feel comfortable, I do. But we need to get out of this spiral and put some wins together. We are after our 11th league title and this is what I said to the players as well. We have a six-point lead which may seem like a lot, but it can change quickly in football.”
Galtier also drew a line under Kylian Mbappe’s unhappy reaction to being used by the club in a promotional video for season ticket renewals without his knowledge.
“It is very difficult for me to talk about that,” he said. “Kylian Mbappe has a relationship with the club and this morning he was very smiley and committed as always.
“He also has had a small hip problem, but that will not affect him playing on Saturday against Nice.
“Everyone has their own way of reacting. Kylian has been talking to the board and if we call that an incident, maybe there has been a misunderstanding, which has now been put to bed.”