For a club that has been chasing the Champions League
trophy without success for a decade
(and has invested heavily to achieve it), a defeat like the one suffered by
Paris Saint-Germain
on Tuesday against Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes , which threatens to leave him on the bench in the round of 16 of the tournament, generates noise.
And if not, let Christophe Galtier
say so
, whose continuity on the team's bench was called into question after that setback.
Even in these hours there is already talk of a potential replacement:
Zinedine Zidane
.
The coin will be in the air for a few days.
According to Radio Montecarlo, the date that can define Galtier's future is marked in red on the calendar: March 8, when
Lionel Messi
and company's team will play
the rematch against Bayern in Germany
.
If the elimination is consummated, the DT who was Ligue 1 champion with Lille in the 2020/21 season and who arrived at the French capital club in the middle of last year could be dismissed on the spot.
Although another premature farewell to the continental tournament would be a decisive impact, the team's performance has already left a lot to be desired in recent weeks.
In fact, Tuesday's was
the third consecutive defeat
(before it had fallen to Olympique de Marseille for the French Cup and against Monaco for Ligue 1), a streak that PSG had not recorded
since 2011
, and the fifth in 11 games. disputed in 2023, one more than those registered in 46 presentations in 2022.
With those dark clouds over his head, the coach had to give
explanations
this Friday, in a press conference that had moments of
tension
, 48 hours after his team's match against Lille for the 24th date of the French league, which PSG leads with five points ahead of Olympique de Marseille.
Christophe Galtier had to come out at the crossroads of questions at the press conference on Friday.
Photo: PSG Press.
“There is great disappointment after the defeat against Bayern, but there is still the second leg.
We can hope that, with the squad full and fit, we have something to show for it.
The most important thing now will be to rediscover our game and upset Lille.
In a difficult period, we have to keep quiet, work and enjoy together
”, evaluated the DT, who confirmed that after the fall on Tuesday he had spoken with the president of the club,
Nasser Al-Khelaifi
, and with the sports director,
Luis Campos
, although he did not give details about those conversations.
When asked about the team's performance, Galtier admitted that he was not satisfied, although he claimed that the injuries to some players (among them,
Kylian Mbappé
, who just took the pitch in the second half) had been a key determining factor.
“If you think I enjoyed watching my team play against Bayern,
you are disrespecting me
.
PSG have to play offensive and attractive football, not spectacular, but effective to win.
Without responding to the bad temper of some, I accept all kinds of criticism, but you have to be able to choose.
I put together the team based on the available squad, ”he argued.
As doubts about Galtier's continuity multiply, the shadow of Zidane
, who has long been Al-Khelaifi's dream,
grows .
The coach who won 11 titles with Real Madrid (including three consecutive Champions Leagues) and who has not worked since mid-2021 had already been a candidate after
Mauricio Pochettino
's separation and now his name reappears.
Zinedine Zidane, during the presentation of the vehicles of the Alpine team on Thursday in London.
Photo: Daniel Leal / AFP.
Zidane himself left a skylight open on Thursday, when he participated in
London
in the presentation of the two vehicles that the French team
Alpine
will use in the 2023
Formula 1
season , of which the DT officiates as ambassador of programs for equality of opportunities.
During the event, Zidane was asked about his duties at Alpine and about the time he will be able to allocate to these tasks.
"If I have to commit tomorrow, that will not prevent me from continuing to work with the (Alpine) team, perhaps a little less because I will be busy with the daily routine," he explained, remarking that his "
desire" was to direct again
.
“Today I have time, but I don't know until when.
I can have time now and then everything can go very fast, ”he added.
The world champion with the French national team in 1998 is not the only candidate to take Galtier's place.
The press in that country also points to
Thomas
Tuchel
, who already led the team between May 2018 and December 2020. The German was fired for his differences with the Brazilian Leonardo, then the club's sports director, and after that he worked at Chelsea , with whom he won the Champions League in 2021. There is also no shortage of those who put a file on the Italian
Carlo Ancelotti
, today at Real Madrid.
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