When Christophe Galtier took over as the head coach of Paris Saint-Germain, he made a point of clarifying his robust rules. The emphasis was on teamwork ahead of ego, self-sacrifice ahead of indulgence. He delivered the message with authority. He knew it was what PSG supporters, tired of watching a superstar ensemble underachieve at the highest level, namely Europe, wanted to hear.
Galtier, who last month became the fourth man to take up the job in a little over four years, had good reason to believe some players needed to listen hard. It has been, over the past decade at PSG, to see individual ambition, a desire to be the brightest light in Paris as detrimental to the collective. Neymar has been booed by home fans in phases of his five seasons in Paris for a perceived lack of team discipline. Lionel Messi was jeered once or twice last season when his standards slipped below those he used to set at Barcelona. This time last year, Kylain Mbappe was being whistled from some sections of the Parc des Princes because his ambitions appeared set on a move to Real Madrid.
Galtier arrived with Mbappe freshly committed to a future at PSG, having signed a mould-breaking deal in terms of wages and explicit assurances that he, Mbappe, would be regarded as the figurehead star at a club urgently chasing its first European Cup and then several more. At 23, Mbappe should be part of that plan longer than Messi, 35, or Neymar, 30. But Galtier’s one-for-all, all-for-one message applied to every generation of star. His feedback was that he had been heard and understood.
During pre-season training, with his various international players returned from their summer breaks, Galtier and his staff also drew up their strategy for penalties. There would be an established, set hierarchy of the various expert sharp-shooters from the spot.
There is a strong quartet of them. Messi has converted more than 100 penalties in his career, with a 77 per cent success rate. Sergio Ramos mastered the art in his 30s, and has an overall 85 per cent record of goals-per-attempts. Neymar, with his pitter-patter run up, is entitled to boast of his 82 per cent hit-rate; of his 85 spot-kicks as a professional, 70 have been scored. As a Neymar loyalists posted on social media at the weekend. ‘No club in the world should have Neymar as second-choice penalty-taker rather than first.’
That post was later ‘liked’ by an account attached to Neymar himself. That, and the approval from Neymar-linked accounts of other posts critical of Mbappe following Saturday’s 5-2 victory over Montpellier, on top of incidents during the match now present Galtier with his most serious man-management issue since he took over.
PSG ratings v Montpellier
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PSG RATINGS: Gianluigi Donnarumma - 5. The Italy international spent most of the game as a spectator amid PSG’s dominance, but he shouldn’t have been beaten at his near post by 19-year-old Enzo Tchato. Reuters -
Sergio Ramos - 6. Provided a threat from set pieces in both attacking and defensive phases. Untroubled by Montpellier’s attack who only began to attack after being 3-0 down. EPA -
Marquinhos - 6. Progressed the ball quickly out to PSG’s wing-backs and kept shape in a match where the Ligue 1 champions administered full control for most of the game. EPA -
Presnel Kimpembe - 6. Brought the ball out from the back to speed up transitions, but was never threatened with the game looking like a training exercise for PSG. AP -
Nuno Mendes - 7. Mendes looked threatening every time he got forward, and he was prepared to jolt inside defenders closing him down. A strong performance from the Portugal international who proved to be a creative spark for PSG. AFP -
Achraf Hakimi - 7. Stretched the play down the right flank and beat his marker on a number of occasions, though should have done better with a shot that was driven past the post in the first half. AFP -
Marco Verratti - 8. Put plenty of pressure on the ball in transitions when PSG lost possession, and that often helped PSG recover it quickly to then build another attack. The Italian international also passed with precision, but he wasn’t troubled much on the defensive end of his game. AP -
Vitinha - 6. The 22-year-old was keen to get involved but his effort from outside of the box that was hit high and wide should have been much better. Looked impressive when transitioning the play into PSG’s dangerous forward line. AFP -
Neymar - 8. Bright on the ball and won plenty of fouls through his marauding runs in between defenders. Made no mistake from the penalty spot before going on to score a second. Marginally adjudged to be offside after some delay where he was thought to have completed his hat-trick. Reuters -
Lionel Messi - 8. Paris Saint-Germain’s brightest player on the forward line as he made things look easy. Messi should have assisted the opening goal after picking out Neymar, while he also looked to test the keeper with some well-hit shots from outside the box. AFP -
Kylian Mbappe - 7. Wasteful at times on the night with a tame penalty effort that was saved by the goalkeeper. When through on goal, it looked as though the France international was hesitant to unleash a shot at goal, and that saw a handful of chances wasted. Got on the scoresheet eventually with a quick-reaction finish from a corner. AFP -
SUBS: Leandro Paredes (Vitinha, 71') - N/A. On to provide solidity in the midfield while 3-1, and that helped Paris Saint-Germain pick Montpellier off with attacks. Reuters -
Pablo Sarabia (Mbappe, 86') N/A. Reuters -
Renato Sanches (Verratti, 86') - N/A. An instant impact with his first touch to score his first goal for PSG. AFP -
Nordi Mukiele (Hakimi, 86') - N/A. AFP -
Hugo Ekitike (Neymar, 90') - N/A. A debut for striker Hugo Ekitike saw him receive a warm reception from the Parc des Princes crowd. Reuters
Two games into the Ligue 1 season, PSG penalties are suddenly an issue. Mbappe (25 career penalties and 20 goals from them: 80% effectiveness) is Galtier’s designated first-choice penalty taker if the French striker is on the pitch, Neymar his deputy. But against Montpellier, Mbappe duly stepped up to take a spot-kick that would have opened the scoring after 23 minutes. Goalkeeper Jonas Omlin saved.
Come the second half, with PSG 1-0 up thanks to a Montpellier own goal, another penalty was awarded to the Ligue 1 champions. A brief conversation between Mbappe and Neymar preceded Neymar taking the spot-kick and doubling the lead.
Neymar scored with a header soon afterwards, continuing his impressive form in the short season so far, a campaign that only really began for Mbappe, who was suspended and short of fitness until last week, against Montpellier. He had spent the previous two games, a 4-0 win over Nantes in the Trophee des Champions, and a 5-0 league victory over Clermont, watching Neymar and Messi shine.
Word is that in training last week, Mbappe seemed a little withdrawn. What was clear to everyone at the Parc on Saturday was that, when Mbappe made a run to make himself available for a through-ball from Vitinha, he vividly, ostentatiously gestured his irritation at teammates when the ball did not come to him.
Galtier sought to soothe these signs of friction. Of the penalty hierarchy, he said it had been respected because it was “logical” that Neymar, “the number two penalty-taker” should take the second kick, Mbappe having been denied from the spot earlier on. If Mbappe seemed edgy, it was because he was returning to action after a break. “When you’re physically catching-up, you get more stressed,” said Galtier.
He hardly needed reminding that at PSG, these sorts of tensions have a habit of escalating. In 2017 there were undisguised disagreements, on the pitch, between Neymar and the club’s then centre-forward Edinson Cavani, over who should have priority with penalties, casting a cloud over internal relationships. PSG’s form may be breezily untroubled - three competitive games, with 14 goals scored - but there are tougher tests to come, notably against Lille at the weekend, and the all-star attack needs to be seen to be acting in unison.
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Paris Saint-Germain's Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanches controls the ball next to Lionel Messi and Marco Verratti during a training session at the Camp des Loges training ground in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, west of Paris on August 11, 2022, two days prior to the L1 football match against Montpellier. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe heads the ball. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain's Spanish defender Sergio Ramos takes part in a training session at the 'Camp des Loges'. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain's French head coach Christophe Galtier. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi, left, Marco Verratti, centre, and Leandro Paredes. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe takes part in a training session. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain's Portuguese midfielder Vitinha controls the ball. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe, centre, runs next to his teammates during a training session at the 'Camp des Loges'. AFP -
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe. AFP -
Lionel Messi passes the ball to PSG teammate Renato Sanches. AFP -
Paris-Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier holds a press conference. AFP
