Christophe Galtier returns to his counterattacking best to revive PSG
“Planet Mbappé” read the headline of this morning’sl’Équipe. It has seemed for some time that this is his world and we are all just living in it, especially after his performances at the World Cup. But just as it looked like he could not burnish his status as the world’s best footballer any more, he showed again on Sunday evening that there is always another level to his game.
Not only did he score a brace for PSG in their 3-0 win against Marseille at the Vélodrome to go level with Edinson Cavani as the club’s joint all-time top scorer, but he also set up Lionel Messi for the other goal and terrorised the Marseille defence throughout. Admittedly, the absence of Samuel Gigot and Chancel Mbemba helped Mbappé slice through the hosts’ midfield and back three, but PSG were also missing key players.
They were not big favourites before this match. Their form has been wobbly at best since the World Cup, winning just six of their 10 league matches, being knocked out of the Coupe de France by Marseille three weeks ago and losing 1-0 to Bayern Munich in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the Champions
League.
The club has been roiled by rumours of infighting and they went to the Vélodrome without Neymar, Renato Sanches and Achraf Hakimi. A win for Marseille would have taken them within two points of the leaders, who were also looking over their shoulders at Monaco and Lens before they dropped points earlier in the weekend. There has been a palpable sense of worry at PSG of late, with the ropy nature of their win over Lille last weekend fresh in the mind.
Having Kylian Mbappé and Messi gives any team a chance, but there was a feeling that their depleted team would capitulate in the boiling atmosphere of the Vélodrome, blowing the title race well and truly open. That did not happen, largely due to Christophe Galtier’s tactics. Despite their investment in the QSI era, PSG have always been at their best as a counterattacking side – especially since Mbappé arrived. Their midfield engine, Marco Verratti, breaks up opponents’ play and knits it together for his own side going forward. At the back, Marquinhos, relatively fleet of foot for a centre-back, has been a calming presence, and the two were the through line for the club’s dominance over the years.
This season, though, Marquinhos looked to have taken a step back. Still only 28, the Brazilian has been forced to play alongside a constantly changing cadre of defensive partners and looked mentally shellshocked at times, a situation hardly helped by his own goal in the World Cup against Croatia. Verratti has had a decent season but, between suspension and injury, had only started three league games in 2023, with last week’s victory over Lille the only time PSG had recorded a win this year with him in the side.
Given the absences of Neymar, the dynamic Sanches (who has been a regular when fit, Galtier clearly trusting the midfielder from their time together at Lille) and Hakimi, the manager opted to play a 3-5-2 against Marseille. Galtier was comfortable with his team ceding possession – as he had been during his successful spells with Lille and SaintÉtienne – and the formation allowed Verratti and Marquinhos more space and time to anticipate Marseille’s forays into their half, the team adopting a compact, deep shape defensively.
Marseille had plenty of the ball but did little with it, save a spurned chance or two early in the game. It may pain PSG fans to hear it, but this version of PSG has much in common with Galtier’s sides at Sainté, albeit with more talent. The pace of Mbappé and the creativity of Messi are world class, but there are clear parallels with the relationship between Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Romain Hamouma a decade ago, or between Hamouma and Max-Alain Gradel two years later.
Galtier may lack experience at the highest level, but this match has hopefully shown him the value of sticking to his principles. He has proven their value for more than a decade in Ligue 1, and they should guide PSG for the rest of the season, especially with Neymar a doubt for some time. It may not please some fans, but the results surely will,