“It was more complicated for him” - Christophe Galtier addresses Neymar’s performance in 2-1 Marseille loss

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Christophe Galtier has shared his thoughts on Neymar Jr.'s performance in their loss against Olympique Marseille on Wednesday (February 9).

The Parisians were eliminated from the French Cup after losing 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome. Alexis Sanchez and Ruslan Malinovskyi scored for the hosts while Sergio Ramos scored for the visitors.

Neymar played the entire 90 minutes but couldn't provide as big an impact as he would have wanted. The Brazilian winger provided an assist for Ramos' goal and also hit the woodwork once. However, he completed two of his five dribbles, won just six of his 16 duels, and lost possession a whopping 26 times.

Assessing his performance, Galtier said after the game (via Canal Supporters):

"In the first half, he found the right spaces, he delivered good balls. After that it was more complicated for him but also for everyone."

🇺🇦⚽️🚀

What a 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝙇𝘿𝙄𝙀 from Ruslan Malinovskyi - the incredible matchwinner v PSG😍😍

#OMPSG | 2⃣ - 1⃣ | ⚪️🔵

https://t.co/uBSiUUQbZq

The PSG manager also shared his analysis of the entire game and said:

"In the second period, we did not manage to create a situation. If we compare the two periods, there was a very big pressing of the Marseillais.

"We managed to get out at some point, but we didn't use much space in depth. We take a stupid goal after the break and from that moment, we sinned a lot , notes the PSG coach in comments relayed by the team."

He added:

"There is disappointment, but we have to look ahead and not dwell on this elimination. What to press on in the next few days? We will recover quickly, clean the heads, so that this disappointment is not a significant burden. There is nothing more we can do about it, we are eliminated."

FULL-TIME: Marseille 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain

The Parisians lose tonight and bow out of the @coupedefrance.

#CoupeDeFrance I #OMPSG I #LeClassique https://t.co/NXiXNZxQU5

Christophe Galtier on Neymar's absence from PSG's previous two games

The loss against Marseille was Neymar's first game for PSG after the 1-1 draw against Stade Reims on January 29. He missed their two league games against Montpellier SC and Toulouse.

Speaking ahead of the game against Marseille, Galtier explained the situation, saying:

"He works on his ankle every day. He was shaken after the Reims match; he had felt great discomfort in the adductor at the very start of the match. There was a precautionary principle in the two matches that took place. There, the sensations are very good."

Neymar has contributed 17 goals and 16 assists in 26 games across competitions for PSG this season.