Paris Saint-Germain’s “catastrophic” start angered Christophe Galtier after the Ligue 1 leaders were hindered by illness and injury in a 3-1 loss at Monaco.
At the Stade Louis II, PSG was already without Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe due to hamstring injuries.
Fabian Ruiz was also unexpectedly absent, and Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Ramos started on the bench.
Wissam Ben Yedder scored twice after Aleksandr Golovin scored the game’s opener in the first half.
He did so by taking advantage of a mistake made by PSG 17-year-old defender El Chadaille Bitshiabu.
Warren Zaire-Emery’s response was met with little success by the visitors, who have now lost three league games in a row—three more than they had in their previous 45.
Galtier found PSG’s slow start to be unacceptable, despite the fact that selection problems dogged them as they traveled to the principality.
“I am furious because the start is catastrophic,” he told Amazon Prime Video. “We had hope with the goal, and we concede a third on a transition. Going back to 3-1 is more complicated.
“There is anger. There were absentees, a virus. It’s a difficult time for everyone, the players and the fans.
“We have a big meeting on Tuesday [against Bayern Munich] and we need to regain energy, confidence and available players. We’ve conceded a lot of goals since the restart. We have to find balance.
“In the second half, there were zero shots and no reaction. It is insufficient. After three minutes, the plan fell through.”
PSG last experienced a worse start when they lost five of their first seven Ligue 1 games in 2010. PSG’s tally of three league losses in 2023 is their most after seven games at the start of a calendar year since their takeover by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.
PSG will play Bayern Munich in a crucial Champions League last-16 match on Tuesday after losing to Marseille in midweek to exit the Coupe de France.
Captain Marquinhos understands the significance of recovering from the defeat on Saturday.
“After a disappointment, we know that we have to bounce back quickly,” he said. “We have to talk to each other, let everyone look at each other to see what they can do better.
“You must not let go. We lost the cup, we have the Champions League, we are first in the championship… why would we give up now?
“We are going through a difficult moment, but we have to go hard; it’s a key moment of the season.”
