Christophe Galtier took up office as Paris Saint-Germain head coach on Tuesday and the Frenchman has been tasked with working together with Luis Campos to re-establish a serious working environment to help the Ligue 1 champions finally tap into their potential.
“I am delighted to join PSG, I would like to thank the chairman Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, Luis Campos and the club for their confidence in me,” said Galtier in an official statement. “I am fully aware of the responsibilities involved to coach this extraordinary team, which is one of the most competitive and spectacular squads in Europe. I am delighted to work with all of these talented players as well as the top-level staff here at the club. We acknowledge everything that PSG represents in French and international soccer. My focus is on ambition, hard work and making the most of the team’s potential. I am delighted to become head coach of this team and to be on the bench at the magnificent Parc des Princes, a stadium that embodies a passion for soccer.”
It took a while to confirm, but Galtier has now been confirmed as Mauricio Pochettino’s replacement at Parc des Princes and the 55-year-old can now get back to work after leaving OGC Nice earlier this summer after just one season.
“We are delighted to welcome Christophe to the PSG family,” added Chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi. “Christophe’s track record is outstanding, and he has enjoyed success at every club he has managed. His many achievements are founded on an exceptional character that gets the best out of his players and his teams — based on a collective spirit. We are proud to have a French coach and look forward to the next chapter of the Club’s growth with Christophe.”
The man from Marseille has a lengthy to-do list before PSG’s preseason gets underway and takes Les Parisiens to Japan while Campos is already busy working on several leads to strengthen the squad having already landed Vitinha from FC Porto.
We look at Galtier’s pressing concerns.
Identify players to work with
Inheriting this PSG squad post-Pochettino, there is the potential for Galtier to look at many of the players he has found and view them as dead wood.
However, there are equally some players who could yet have a future in the French capital and perhaps did not get the fairest of chances under the Argentine.
What Galtier must do over the next two weeks is work out who he feels can add something to the group under him and who is perhaps best off looking for minutes elsewhere.
This will also aid Campos in determining which players to look to cash in on this summer to make moves in other areas.
Trust Campos’ recruitment choices
The dynamic between Galtier and the Portuguese talent spotter is crucial given how destructive former sporting director Leonardo’s relationships with former bosses was.
To have a head coach and recruitment chief on the same page could prove vital for PSG’s chances of success and it is crucial that nothing disturbs the trust between the two men in shaping the next stage of this Parisien project.
Some high-profile departures might come of this but perhaps that is not such a bad thing given the recent struggles to keep this squad in check.
Work out best XI
Once Galtier has decided which players he can see himself working with and which ones he does not see much of a future for, the former Lille OSC and AS Saint-Etienne boss can start to figure out his ideal starting XI.
Having a clear vision of his best team will enable an identity to be formed which was one of the major failings from Pochettino’s time in charge.
The sooner this happens, the sooner we will see the face of this new PSG project and perhaps as early as the start of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Set clear and realistic aims
Once set in terms of personnel, season goals need to be drawn up and it is imperative that the capital outfit go back to being France‘s dominant domestic force.
Nothing but Ligue 1 and Coupe de France success will be deemed acceptable while realism will be needed in Europe given the over emphasis on Champions League success and Galtier’s so far limited experience on the continental stage.
