Christophe Galtier accused a reporter of “lacking a little respect” when asking about Paris Saint-Germain’s tactics as the under-pressure coach bids to get his team’s season back on track.
PSG has suffered three defeats, including a Coupe de France exit at the hands of Marseille, a Ligue 1 loss at Monaco, and a Champions League last-16 first-leg loss to Bayern Munich.
Galtier was questioned regarding the low block he initially used against Bayern on Tuesday before a home game against his former team Lille on Sunday.
Due to his team’s injury problems, Galtier turned to a defensive strategy that he believed would allow PSG to hold off the German champions until he could bring Kylian Mbappe off the bench and open up the game.
Galtier appeared to be being questioned about whether he would employ the same strategy against Lille, a team that plays similarly to Bayern in an open, attacking style.
“Are you making fun of me by asking this question?” Galtier said, interrupting the reporter.
“Do you think I was satisfied with what I saw against Bayern? No, I was not satisfied.
“My players didn’t do well. We had a game plan that was adapted to the players available. Do you think that starting Warren Zaire-Emery in such an important Champions League game under the age of 17 is something I had been working towards?
“The circumstances dictated that, and I didn’t have other options. We wanted to contain Bayern Munich, to then move into the second phase by bringing Kylian on.
“When Kylian came on, it created more openings for Bayern, but also for us. It was a different game.
“I respect your question, but if you think that I enjoyed watching my team play that way for 60 minutes, it’s because – with a lot of respect – you are lacking a little respect.”
Jumping back in, the reporter suggested Galtier had given an answer that was not in line with the question being asked.
He was stopped in his tracks again as Galtier cut in, saying: “PSG have to play attacking, attractive football. It doesn’t have to be spectacular, but it has to be effective to win. If the players can put on a spectacle and entertain the fans, of course we will do that.”
Galtier is in his first season with PSG after succeeding Mauricio Pochettino, who guided the Parisians to the French league title in 2021–22 but oversaw exits from the Coupe de France and Champions League at the last-16 stage. Galtier has taken over for Pochettino at PSG.
If PSG fails to overcome their deficit against Bayern, they run the exact same risk of experiencing the same result this season, assuming they win the Ligue 1 championship.
Success in the domestic league was insufficient for Pochettino to be kept on, and the same may be true for Galtier, who stated when taking the PSG job that it carries “more pressure than anywhere else.”
