Questioned at a press conference this Friday, on the eve of Nantes-PSG but especially the day after the closing of the transfer window, Galtier takes stock.
There it’s finished. The transfer market closed Thursday at 11 p.m. “It’s a bit of a relief for all coaches“, blows Christophe Galtier. The Parisian coach would have been especially relieved to learn that a central defender had joined the ranks of Paris Saint-Germain. Which Galtier had made no secret about Parisian interest in Milan Skriniar in recent days. A soap opera that lasted all summer. Without a happy ending. Inter did not flinch and the Slovak did not move. Suddenly, the Parisian defense seems a bit light in terms of quantity, with Marquinhos, Sergio Ramos and Presnel Kimpembe on pole, Nordi Mukiele and… Danilo Pereira in support. “I was very satisfied with the performance of Danilo (in Toulouse), not a specialist in the position but for having often exchanged with him, for having also seen him play in the national team in this position, he will be of enormous service to us.“Swears Galtier.
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The 56-year-old technician, however, does not hide his frustration. “The most important thing is that the transfer window is over. At least it’s clear to everyone. And we’re going to do it like that, with the squad I have at my disposal, a quality squad. We adapt“, he first slipped in the form of a balance sheet, on PSGTV. And to explain, at a press conference this time:In terms of departures, there have been some sales and a lot of players on loan. But we knew that to buy, we had to sell».
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Henrique in the dock?
However, the sales, it was the pre square of Antero Henrique. The tackle is barely veiled. Moreover, when asked about the distribution of roles between Henrique, Luis Campos and him, “Galette” said this: “Since I have been here, I have been in permanent contact with the president (Nasser Al-Khelaïfi) and Luis Campos. All the strategies, all the plans we developed, we did it together.Some sources have spoken of tensions in this trio in recent weeks. We guess them here…
Still, now that the transfer window is over, Galtier “knows who (he) is going to work with, the group that is at (his) disposal, and above all, you have to quickly turn the page“. Waiting for the winter transfer window? “The winter transfer window… For a coach, it’s far, very far… In this sense, I have complete confidence in Luis (Campos) with whom I have been working for four or five years and who anticipates things a lot. I have to stay focused on the matches and the sequence of matches“, he swears on the eve of Nantes-PSG of the sixth day of Ligue 1, he who successively saw Vitinha, Hugo Ekitike, Nordi Mukiele, Renato Sanches, Fabian Ruiz and Carlos Soler land, with a loft that s is largely emptied over the weeks (Gueye, Kurzawa, Herrera…).
At some point, coaches can’t always say, “I miss so-and-so, so-and-so, or I miss such-and-such a position.”
Christophe Galtier
And we know that the matches will follow one another between now and the World Cup, at a frantic pace… It is for this reason that the contingent of defenders seems light, precisely… “I have a quality group. Really high quality, like the last two players who joined us (Fabian Ruiz and Carlos Soler, editor’s note). It will be necessary to see in the sequence of matches, obviously, to pay attention to the load or the overload, in terms of the state of form, the fatigue of each other. At some point, coaches can’t always say, “I miss so-and-so, so-and-so, or I miss such-and-such a position.” We have to adapt. Young people are there. We will make sure to manage all this well. I have a quality group, that’s for sure“, he lets go.
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And to continue, about a potential transition to a four-man defense, punctually or not, constrained and forced by this lack of bench depth: “One of the important qualities for a coach is to adapt to situations, states of form, injuries, suspensions… Obviously, it is always better to start with an organization that you have been working on for two months (the 3- 4-3, Editor’s note), with automation. But maybe at some point it will be necessary to adapt to an absence, but it could be in defense or in another area of play. As we speak, I have no desire to change organization.»
The titis to the rescue?
It’s clear. It’s clean. It’s precise. But that opens the door to all options, at least for one match, here and there. Remember that in defense, Paris can also count on the young (17) titi El Chadaille Bitshiabu. To see if the capital club can grab a free player, like former Lyon defender Jason Denayer. In the meantime, the dice are cast for PSG.
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