"It gave us a more interesting balance" - Galtier says decision to 'reposition' superstar forward made PSG better in the second half

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Christophe Galtier has explained how a small tactical tweak helped his side stage a comeback away to Maccabi Haifa.

The Parisians came from a goal behind to record a 3-1 win against the Israeli outfit in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday (September 14).

The home side took a 24th-minute lead at the Sammy Ofer Stadium through Tjaronn Chery as PSG struggled to impose themselves on the game. They got one back through Lionel Messi eight minutes from half-time before a much-improved second-half performance saw them collect all three points.

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr. both scored in the second half. Galtier highlighted that repositioning the latter on the left side for the second half helped PSG gain more control and balance. He told RMC sport after the match (as quoted by Culture PSG):

"It's not so much the fact that the attacking trio didn't defend much. The team block was low, and the three of them quite high. They wanted to recover the ball as soon as possible, but it gave a lot of space behind their backs. We were really outnumbered in the middle."

Galtier added:

"From the moment the three came back lower, in the team block, we started to counter their ball outs a lot better. We were then able to win the ball in important areas, and were better able to project ourselves offensively."

.@neymarjr so far this season:

❤️💙 Matches: 10
⚽️ Goals: 11
🅰️ Assists: 7

🔥 https://t.co/GPIGKkinfl

The manager went on to say:

"It wasn't a question of bad will, but rather a bad analysis of the pressure between our midfielders and our attacking trio. As soon as Ney 'was repositioned on the left side at half-time, it gave us a more interesting balance and we were able to recover the ball where it was needed."

PSG still unbeaten in the new season

PSG entered the match in Israel as favorites but were pegged back by a first-half goal from the hosts. They responded well to maintain their unbeaten start to the new season.

They currently sit atop the Ligue 1 table with 19 points from seven matches, ahead of second-placed Olympique Marseille on goal difference. The Parisians have only dropped points once in all competitions this term - against AS Monaco in a league match that finished 1-1.

❤️💙👍

#𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗣𝗦𝗚 https://t.co/aeCSMwWttZ

The win over Maccabi Haifa was the French giants' second in the Champions League this season. They defeated Juventus 2-1 at the Parc des Princes in their first group-stage encounter last week, leaving them at the top of the Group H table.