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Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier has expressed that his formidable Messi-Neymar-Mbappe attacking front must be ready to start from the bench to take a break at times even if they like it or not. The Parisians will need all their players to win the elusive Champions League along with domestic Champions.
While PSG’s former manager Mauricio Pochettino would not entertain the idea of benching Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe or Neymar, Galtier hasn’t opted for this approach as he benched the Brazilian on Saturday, three days before their Champions League opener against Juventus.
Neymar replaced Mbappe who scored twice in their 3-0 win at Nantes. Similarly, Messi has been experiencing a reveal after a sub-par last season and was also brought to the bench during the closing moments of the Monaco and Toulouse matches. Similarly, Centre back Sergio Ramos was also benched during the Nantes game around the 62nd minute.
Galtier before the start of this season had warned the players that all decisions will be made for the team and his leadership style has so far worked as PSG scored a record 24 goals in their opening six league matches.
“I talked about it twice – once with each of them and once with the whole squad, to tell them that this is how it was going to be and that we had to have the right attitude and accept it,” stated Galtier.
He then addressed the fact that with a packed schedule including the World Cup, players must understand that they can’t play all games. “You say it’s new, but it’s an obligation for everyone because of the very busy schedule,” he defined. “We play a lot, every three days, then every four days, then there is the World Cup. Everyone has to understand that they won’t be able to play all the games.”
PSG Centre back Presnel Kimpembe also seconded this thought and expressed that the team has a dominant squad with quality in the starting XI and the bench. He said, “Everyone has to be ready to play. The most important thing is the team. We have quality in both the starters and the substitutes. We have a good group. Everyone knows that. We take advantage of each other to be as good as possible.”