Speaking in his press conference ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League group stage clash against Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier sought to play down Kylian Mbappé’s discontent over his role in the frontline.
After the 0-0 draw to Reims over the weekend, the French forward caused a stir with a social media post in which he appeared to echo his previous comments about preferring to play in a two-man attack with a pivot, rather than PSG’s three-forward set-up.
PSG have decided against taking action, while Galtier has indicated that he understands the attacker’s frustration:
“You have Kylian’s reaction after his match. It was a reaction in the heat of the moment, after a moment of disappointment. I spoke a lot with Kylian at the start of the season and I was very attentive to his comments when he was playing for France, saying that he felt better in Les Bleus’ attacking set-up.”
“I don’t know what was said to Kylian before I arrived in Paris. But across pre-season we spoke with Luís Campos and the president [Nasser Al-Khelaifi] to get a fourth striker, with a different profile, who would allow for two strikers and for Kylian to play as much as possible in his preferred area. Right now we have other players who are totally different, but are still world class. Kylian sometimes finds himself in the middle and he gets the impression that he’s a pivot. But he’s a smart player who’s capable of adapting. I spoke with him yesterday at length – about being able to have a conversation with him, on his expectations.”
“Kylian is already at 11 goals and I know he’s going to score a lot more. To tell you the whole story, he shouldn’t have played against Reims, he was ill. You already have Leo [Messi’s] absence, Neymar had muscular pains. Kylian played while ill and tired, in a match which didn’t turn out well for us. I’m trying to reassure him by finding different options. We’re very mindful about his comments and his thinking because he’s a very important player for the team.”
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