“Zidane is Zidane, but Al Khelaifi assured me that he was going to be the PSG coach”

PSG have already been working for two weeks with Christophe Galtier at the helm. Although his name is not as popular as Zidane’s, the ex-Nice player assured in an interview in the newspaper L’Équipe that he sees himself as ready to lead the French champion’s new project, a team in which human management, wardrobe, it is as important as finding a sporting balance that has often been missing.

His contacts with PSG: “Quite a few weeks before my official arrival. I had conversations with Luis Campos and also with president Al Khelaifi, who assured me that he was going to be PSG’s coach.”

Rumors about Zidane: “I want to be brief on this topic. Zizou is Zizou. He has an impeccable record, and he is one of a kind. But the most important thing was my constant exchanges with my president and with Luis Campos”.

management: “You have to be demanding with everyone, but you can’t manage a talented young footballer, still to be developed, in the same way as another with a career like that of Neymar, Messi or Mbappé”.

If Neymar arrives late for training… “But…why Ney? It is something that happens in any dressing room, although in this one there is an important international echo. There will be rules that will be established and that the whole group will keep in mind. There will be things that are negotiable, and others that are not. There has to be a big commitment. And, whoever he is, if he doesn’t have it, he won’t have a place in the locker room. It is not an army nor will I make a decision without taking into account the opinion of others, but we discussed it with my president and he insisted a lot on group discipline.”

The future of Neymar: “I have always been clear that I want him to stay. There are many games until the start of the World Cup and there will be a need to rotate. I want that, in addition to the starting eleven, there are five changes with the same potential. There will be time for everyone to play. I know where Neymar can be more comfortable, like Messi. They are players with a great ability to find themselves between the lines and be decisive”.

Messi: “It is a new life for Leo and for his family. You have to have a lot of respect for someone who says that he wants to experience something else. Not everyone is capable of doing it. Of course there is a time to adapt afterwards, but from what I have seen, he is fine”.

The pressure on Mbappé: “It is my point of view, and I said it in my presentation. He is a 23-year-old boy, and he does not have to carry all the responsibility. He knows what people expect of him, but there are also other teammates around him. I’m not trying to take the pressure off him, but Kylian knows what he wants, what he wants to do with his career, and that gives him enough responsibility.”

The continuity of Marquinhos: “It was never in doubt. I’ve seen him play for many years and what happened in the Champions League against Real Madrid was irrational”.

The requirement in Europe: “At PSG you always have an obligation to achieve good results. I am very ambitious, although I start from great humility. I came to win, and at the moment we have three national trophies that we have to go for. The Champions? Why not? Roberto Di Matteo won it with Chelsea in 2012 and no one would have bet a penny on him.”

The Kimpembe case: “I have been able to read many things that have been said about him, and we have even laughed together. He is a player that I like. He is a direct guy in the face to face, but I don’t know what will happen. He is a great centre-back. In a system with three behind, he can be very efficient.”