"He is a competitor" - Christophe Galtier responds to claims that PSG star Kylian Mbappe was sulky during Montpellier win
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) head coach Christophe Galtier has come to the defence of superstar Kylian Mbappe after his attitude was labeled as sulky during his team's 5-2 win against Montpellier.
After opening their domestic season with a 5-0 triumph over Clermont Foot, the Parisians registered their second win on the trot at the Parc des Princes on August 13. Neymar bagged a brace while Mbappe also got onto the scoresheet, despite missing an early penalty.
4 - Kylian Mbappé has failed to convert only 4 of his 21 penalties taken with Paris in all competitions (17/21), all of these misses coming at home. Parc. #PSGMHSC https://t.co/ObBZFmd5xI
Speaking to Canal+ (via Culture PSG) after the contest, Galtier shed light on Mbappe's return to action. He elaborated:
"I see the action at the end of the first period [where he stopped playing when he didn't receive the ball] but it's at the end of the period. Kylian had played 45, 60 then 30 minutes during the preparation matches and his last match was three weeks ago so I knew it was automatically going to cost him physically. So it's anecdotal."
He continued:
"Afterwards, he is a competitor who wants to be good quickly but here, when you are a high-level footballer, you are not on/off or off/on. It takes a little time to regain 100% of one's athletic abilities. And when it is, it will make even more of a difference. These are players who like to score, who want to score, who attack. It is quite normal that he is a little short physically compared to his other partners."
When asked about how he handles egos like Mbappe and Neymar in his dressing room, the former Nice manager added:
"Having some problems with this profile of a competitor and a great player is not too much of a problem. It's more difficult when you have players who don't have that level. They are competitors, they all want to play, to score. But we will soon arrive in sequences of matches and everyone will have to understand that it will be necessary to arrange and manage the playing times of each other."
PSG will next lock horns with Lille in their third Ligue 1 fixture of the season at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on August 21.
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PSG in pursuit of Lyon's Lucas Paqueta
Speaking on "NUFC Matters" podcast on YouTube (as quoted by HITC), journalist Ben Jacobs has reported that PSG are among three other clubs interested in Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta. He said:
"I think Newcastle will monitor the Paqueta situation. Keep an eye on West Ham as well as they could come into the mix and keep an eye on PSG who want at least three more signings."
Paqueta, who has three years left on his contract at the Groupama Stadium, has turned heads with his performances in the last two seasons. Operating as the creative focal point of Lyon, he has registered 21 goals and 13 assists in 78 games across all competitions.