MY ACCOUNT
Christophe Galtier knows Paris Saint-Germain’s hierarchy will “reflect” on his future after Sunday’s dire defeat to Rennes, though he believes their display can be explained by a lengthy injury list.
PSG were booed off at half-time and full-time by a furious home crowd as Karl Toko Ekambi and Arnaud Kalimuendo netted either side of the interval in a routine win for Rennes.
PSG’s defeat was their first on home soil in Ligue 1 since April 2021, when Galtier led former club Lille to a 1-0 triumph at the Parc des Princes before beating the Parisians to the title.
While Galtier looks likely to win his second domestic title this term, he has attracted criticism since overseeing a meek Champions League exit against Bayern Munich earlier this month.
Galtier knows PSG’s latest humiliation will do nothing to quell speculation regarding his position, telling reporters: “I came for this project for two years, but we speculate on my future.
“My only obsession is to be champion. This match will perhaps cause my management to reflect, but we have to put things in context.
“This match should not call everything into question. There are no excuses but there are reasons. There are 10 matches left, we are ahead in Ligue 1.
“Losses always upset us. Afterwards, everyone has their reading of the game. You have yours and I have mine.
“In the current context, with so many absences – though it is not an excuse – we knew that we would have defensive fluctuations.”
As well as long-term absentee Neymar, PSG were without defenders Achraf Hakimi, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos and Sergio Ramos for Sunday’s defeat, forcing Galtier to start inexperienced duo El Chadaille Bitshiabu and Timothee Pembele.
Given PSG’s selection crisis, Galtier believes criticism of his team’s attitude is unjustified, adding: “The players gave everything compared to what they had in their legs.
“You get the feeling that the players didn’t give their all, but that’s not how I feel.
“When a player walks into the locker room and knows that eight players are missing, and he sees young guys he has only seen once or twice before…
“My players were invested, after going 2-0 down to a team like Rennes, there may be a little resignation. There is a lot of fatigue. These are not excuses, just contextual elements.”
PSG have now lost four of their seven Ligue 1 games this season against teams currently in the top five (W2 D1), including two against Rennes (also 1-0 in January).
Rennes are also just the third team to complete a Ligue 1 double over PSG since the club’s 2011 takeover by Qatar Sports Investments, after Nancy in 2011-12 and Monaco in 2020-21.
