“
We will have to shake ourselves off.
Christophe Galtier was not overkill after the draw against Reims (1-1) on Sunday, during the closing match of the 20th day of Ligue 1. This time, no victory in sham, not from success to courage.
The distribution of points reflects fairly well what we witnessed at the Parc des Princes, even if PSG reacted (a little) after the break, boosted by the entry of Marco Verratti at the break and the tactical change made by his coach.
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Calendar and results Ligue 1
League 1 standings
Enough to open the scoring with a happy goal from Neymar and create a few situations after “
a soporific first period, without rhythm or intensity
” during which Paris was “
quickly cut in two
”, according to Galtier.
Alas, Verratti only spent 14 minutes on the pitch before being sent off.
Paradoxically, Stade de Reims did not take advantage of their numerical superiority, but were able to capitalize on a gross defensive error after additional time (90+6).
After a poorly assured recovery by the young Warren Zaire-Emery, the defensive block broke up and Falogun Balogun had plenty of time to show off his speed before rounding Gianluigi Donnarumma.
"
We took a transition when there are 30 seconds left to play and we have the ball at our feet... It's damaging from an accounting point of view but it's also very surprising in relation to the experience he there was on the field at that time
, ”plagues the Parisian coach, who was not stingy with tackles in his post-match interventions on Sunday evening.
Sufficiency crisis
In summary, Galtier evoked a "
crisis of sufficiency
", the fact that his players fell into a "
comfort zone
", that "
many (of them) are not at their level currently
".
Calinotherapy is over.
There is no question of hiding, nor of concealing one's responsibilities.
“
I am responsible for poor performance but there is also individual performance
“, again dropped the 56-year-old technician, annoyed by his players.
Especially since this is not the first time: since the return of the World Cup, Paris has been idling.
A victory in four Ligue 1 matches in 2023, against Angers, and sad performances.
Two weeks before the reception of Bayern in C1 (February 14), it is frankly not reassuring, not at all in fact.
“
We are not going to take refuge behind the post-World Cup calendar.
It's been a few weeks that our services have not been at the same level as in the first part of the season
", he hammered, assuring that it will be necessary "
to make decisions
".
Read alsoNotes from PSG-Reims: Neymar deludes, Balogun as executioner
Perhaps the last hours of the transfer window will offer some more solutions to Christophe Galtier.
The returns of Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes and Marco Verratti too.
Moreover, the entry of the latter against Reims recalled what we already knew: the little Italian is essential.
Especially since Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz, Carlos Soler and other Renato Sanches are struggling to convince over time… “
Everyone knows the importance of Marco in the team, he has proven it for more than ten years
, underlines Galtier.
But I can't take refuge behind his absence.
We have to find other solutions.
»
Fortunately, there is Danilo Pereira, not great but still valuable.
And just as right in front of the microphones as on the meadow.
“
We must be in a different state of mind.
We have to do more work, be together.
We are a great team but we have to know how to suffer when necessary.
If we don't, it will be very difficult
, ”said the Portuguese midfielder on Prime Video.
“
We must do more
,” he sums up.
It was easy to get the ball out.
The front three don't defend...
yunis abdelhamid
Especially since old problems are resurfacing in this time of trouble, doubt and worry.
Yunis Abdelhamid made no secret of it on Sunday: “
It was easy to get the ball out.
The front three are not defending… We knew that if we got past this first curtain… They always make the effort to press a little, they no longer participate in the defensive tasks of their team.
We worked on it, we exploited it well, we knew how to do it well and that's why we created so many chances.
“Under these conditions, it is difficult to hope for anything at the highest level.
In addition, the defense does not breathe serenity, Donnarumma not always, and the summer recruits are generally struggling to exist among the Red and Blue.
That's a lot ... All without real prospect of change given the weight of the "MNM" in the club's finances.
No Exit ?
Read alsoPSG: unworthy and worrying
In any case, the promises of last August seem a long way off.
To make nostalgic of the end of the year, when the performances were not as brilliant as that despite positive results.
“
Worried?
That's not the question, but we must quickly get back on the path to victory and be more together on the field than we are at the moment
", summarizes Galtier, who knows very well that in the event of a disaster in February and March against Bayern, in the knockout stages of the Champions League, management's confidence could quickly fade.
That's the game in Paris, everyone knows that.
It is up to the former coach of Saint-Etienne, Lille and Nice to pull the right strings and make this team as talented as it is rickety work.
Heating blue
Good news ?
With the program for the next few weeks (OM x2, Monaco, Lille, Bayern), the Parisians will quickly realize that they have no other choice than to put on the warm-up blue and leave the memory of Doha to Doha for those who participated in the World Cup.
Maybe that's what they need, to face the difficulty.
Otherwise, the month of February could be salty.
Note that FC Bayern Munich, "
unrecognizable
" according to President Oliver Kahn, is not the best either.
It's already that...