On Saturday, May 13, 2023, during the League One soccer game between Paris Saint-Germain and AC Ajaccio at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, PSG’s head coach Christophe Galtier speaks with Kylian Mbappe of PSG
Coach Christophe Galtier would have been anticipated to take home some awards with Paris Saint-Germain on the verge of claiming an 11th French league championship.
Ils ont un métier à multiple casquettes, et les meilleurs d'entre eux sont nommés pour le Trophée UNFP du Meilleur Entraineur de @Ligue1UberEats :
🧢 P. FONSECA
🧢 P. GASTIEN
🧢 F. HAISE
🧢 P. MONTANIER
🧢 I. TUDOR#TropheesUNFP pic.twitter.com/knACKu2PYK— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) May 16, 2023
Instead, even his peers are shunning him, and he is unsure if he will be in control the following season.
This week, Galtier was left off of the shortlist for coach of the season, which also included Lens’ Franck Haise, Igor Tudor of Marseille, Pascal Gastien of Clermont, Paulo Fonseca of Lille, and Philippe Montanier of Toulouse.
Galtier did not receive enough votes when each coach in the top level was asked to suggest a teammate. The same thing occurred to his predecessor, Mauricio Pochettino, who guided PSG to a record-tying 10th league championship last season but was ultimately passed over and fired.
Winning the French league title is obviously not enough to have a successful season given the high expectations set by the armada of stars playing for PSG.
Even if Lens and Marseille have consistently presented difficulties this season, PSG’s failure to perform well in the Champions League has been outshining the others.
Before joining PSG this summer, Galtier had already won the prize for best manager with AS Saint-Etienne in 2013, followed by LOSC Lille in 2019 and 2021.
✨🏆 Les nommés pour le Trophée UNFP du meilleur joueur de Ligue 1 sont :
J.David
S.Fofana
K.Mbappé
L.Messi
L.Openda#TropheesUNFP pic.twitter.com/aXItqcD3Vn— la chaine L'Équipe (@lachainelequipe) May 16, 2023
“It’s surprising and somehow also unfair,” former France coach Raymond Domenech, now the president of the coaches’ union, told L’Equipe newspaper. “Even if Christophe has the best team, being champion is not as simple as people think. He had to manage his stars, in a peculiar season with the World Cup in the middle. It’s not an easy thing to do.”
And it’s accurate to say that PSG’s decline began after Lionel Messi led Argentina to victory against France and Kylian Mbappé in a World Cup final between гιᴠаℓ club colleagues.
On January 1st, Lens defeated PSG, handing Galtier’s club its first loss of the year and starting a string of dreadful performances that resulted in their second consecutive Champions League round of 16 exit.
Galtier’s exit is likely as a result of PSG losing nine games in all competitions in 2023, despite the fact that his contract is valid through the end of the 2024 season.
Galtier has been rocked by claims that, when in charge of French club Nice, he made racist and anti-Muslim remarks, in addition to his star-studded team’s lackluster performances.
Galtier has managed to keep PSG in the lead despite the toxic environment, and he now appears prepared to assist his squad become the first team to finish first for the full season.
With three games left, PSG, which plays at Auxerre on Sunday, leads Lens by six points. If Lens does not defeat Lorient this weekend, a victory would guarantee the championship.
Galtier, however, is still cautious.
“Nothing is decided yet,” he said. “Among my squad, I see players who want to be French champions. But Lens doesn’t give up and we remain within reach.”
On the other hand, in two weeks, PSG striker Kylian Mbappe will face off against teammate Lionel Messi for the chance to win his fourth consecutive Best Ligue 1 Player accolade.