Nasser Al-Khelaifi 'flies back from UEFA congress' address PSG players
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi ‘flies straight-back from UEFA congress’ to address PSG players and backroom staff, following their recent ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ downturn in form ahead of Nice clash
- PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has delivered a dressing room talk to his team
- It comes in the wake of the their recent downturn in form and exit from Europe
- Christophe Galtier also addressed turmoil at the club calling it ‘unacceptable’
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has delivered a ‘clear and precise’ dressing room talk to the squad and back-room staff, amid a recent downturn in form at the club, which Christophe Galtier has described as ‘unacceptable’.
Despite sitting comfortably at the top of Ligue 1 with a six-point cushion on Lens and Marseille, PSG suffered their second consecutive league defeat on Sunday, going down 1-0 to Olympique Lyon, after they were bested by Rennes 2-0 the week prior.
The French giants also crashed out of the Champions League earlier in March, going down 3-0 on aggregate to Bayern Munich in the last 16, but woes on the pitch have been marred by further events behind the scenes between some of their big stars.
Much scepticism is rising around Lionel Messi’s future in Paris, while earlier this week, Kylian Mbappe took aim at his own club for predominantly using his image in an advertising campaign, slamming the club saying that it was not ‘Kylian Saint-Germain’.
As issues have been mounting at the club, Al-Khelaifi, who was in Lisbon this week for the UEFA Congress ‘flew straight back to Paris’, according to The Athletic, to attend an open training session and speak with Galtier and the rest of his team.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has reportedly given a dressing room speech to his team
Christophe Galtier’s side have recently suffered a downturn in form losing their last two games
Off-field issues are starting to develop among the clubs key players like Kylian Mbappe (left)
According to reports, he was seen on the training pitch conversing with sporting director Luis Campos before heading over to speak with the PSG manager and watch the first team train at the Camp des Loges training ground.
In his press conference ahead of tomorrow night’s clash against Nice, the PSG Manager admitted his side’s recent form has not been good enough, before suggesting that it was important for Al-Khefaili to be there.
‘The president came and spoke to us in the dressing room, and what is said in the dressing room stays in the dressing room,’ Galtier said. ‘But it was important for him to be there.’
‘The current situation is unacceptable. We need to react. We need total commitment and focus on the result. When the players are on the same page and fully committed we can perform well.’
The pressure is now mounting on the French manager who, was recently said to be teetering on the edge of job security, with reports last week suggesting he had just two games to save his job.
Despite having only taken over at the club last summer, the 56-year-old has only lost five of the 29 league matches he’s presided over, yet his side’s European form has left a lot to be desired with PSG winning only four of their eight Champions League ties this season.
While admitting he had his own standards to meet he said: ‘I spoke with my players after the game, when we started our week training on Tuesday.
‘I explained to them and asked them to show more commitment and show more personality.’
Mbappe made a statement on Instagram slamming an advertising campaign slamming the club for predominantly using his image
The France World Cup winner claimed in response that it was not Kylian Saint-Germain
Concerns are rising over Lionel Messi’s future at the club, with his contract expiring in June
Galtier also admitted that he had addressed some players individually before claiming that everyone ‘had trained well this week’.
But he also addressed the current situation with Mbappe’s criticism of the football club for using his image rights in an advertising campaign.
‘It’s difficult to for me to talk about that,’ he said. ‘It concerns Kylian and the club. This morning he was very smiley, committed. He also cut short his session due to small hip problem but that will not affect him playing against Nice (on Saturday night).
‘Everyone has their own way of reacting. I know there has been a lot of discussions between the board and Kylian. It seems to me like a misunderstanding, and it has been put to bed.’
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