The drama around the Paris Saint-German managerial situation seems to be nearing its end. With Mauricio Pochettino set to be sacked soon, the Ligue 1 champions are close to making Frenchman Christophe Galtier their next manager (as per Sky Sports).
The OGC Nice manager has gained a positive reputation in France because of his work with several Ligue 1 sides. Galtier spent eight years at Saint-Etienne, helping them stay afloat in Ligue 1 while also winning the Coupe de a Ligue (French Cup) in 2013.
He helped Lille win the Ligue 1 title over PSG in the 2020/21 season and did a solid job at Nice last season. The 3-time Ligue 1 Manager of the Year is a master in France’s top division.
But a major challenge stands in his way once confirmed as PSG manager, as he’ll be managing one of the biggest clubs in world football. With that being said, here are a few reasons why Galtier will succeed at PSG and two reasons why he’ll fail.
Reasons he’ll flop at PSG
Pressure of high expectations
At PSG, Galtier will face more pressure than he has experienced at any club in his 13+ year managerial career. The 55-year-old might have a lot of experience managing clubs in France and helping them to domestic titles, but at PSG, winning domestic silverware isn’t enough.
Pochettino won Ligue 1 last season and is getting sacked. PSG crave Champions League glory and expect the very best in that competition from players and manager alike. Galtier only managed to guide Lille to the Champions League once and has very little experience managing on European nights.
Despite his inexperience, there will be a lot of expectations on him to transform PSG into Champions League heavyweights. Any mishap will be criticized.
Galtier may find this entire process overwhelming and could see his tactics fail against Europe’s best. If he loses the trust of the dressing room and fails in Europe, it probably won’t be long before PSG look to replace him.
Lack of experience managing world class dressing room
Galtier has not really managed any “major” side so far in his career, instead thriving at set-ups where he’s an underdog. That would go out the window the moment he takes the PSG job. The eyes of the footballing world are on PSG and there are many hoping for their failure.
While Christophe will be inheriting an extremely luxurious dressing room packed with world-class players, managing to get them in the same tune can be a gigantic challenge.
The likes of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marco Veratti are all amazing players, but still, PSG crumbled in the Champions League with them last season.
Galtier may find the prospect of managing the egos in the dressing room tricky. He could also face problems in getting everyone on the same page, and restricting any sort of jealousy or personal battles in the squad.
The Frenchman has never managed a group filled with world-class talents in his career and because of his lack of “top-level reputation,” he could find it extremely difficult to win over the PSG squad.
Reasons he’ll succeed at PSG
Compact, rigid defensive system
PSG’s attacking prowess is well known, with the French giants possessing the prominent trio of Messi, Mbappe and Neymar to spearhead their frontline. What they lack is defensive discipline, especially under pressure.
They conceded quite often under Pochettino and the Argentine manager couldn’t stop them from conceding three times in one half in the Champions League Round of 16 clash vs Real Madrid.
But Galtier can probably fix those issues. The Frenchman promotes a precise, compact defensive system which can be difficult to penetrate.
Galtier’s Lille side conceded just 23 goals in 38 games in their title-winning 2020/21 season, despite lacking any real “world-class” defender. His defensive style forces opponents to move through the wings, after which they find it difficult to create chances.
He also emphasizes high pressing and moving the ball out of defense, which helps in maintaining a better defensive record. If he can make PSG an impenetrable side defensively against the big guns, Galtier can take them far into the Champions League and win over the fans’ confidence.
Unique man-management ability
Galtier might be heading into a very challenging job, but he is unlikely to sacrifice his management style. The Frenchman is a very strict man-manager who expects nothing but the very best from his players. That means he will not let his PSG players slack off at any point during the season or in any game.
The 55-year-old loves setting up specific tactical points for each player and his motivational skills can help him win over the difficult squad. Galtier’s reliable system and tactics mean the players might not have major problems adapting to it.
Galtier can win over the players with his inspired man-management ability and team talks.
If he’s able to do that and inspire his team to buy into his philosophy, he can end up being a real success story at PSG.