Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier is not one to tolerate nor condone prima donna behavior and has apparently warned Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar that they sometimes have to accept being benched for the overall good of the squad when the need arises for them to be rested, whether they like it or not. While former coach Mauricio Pochettino rarely made rotations, his successor Galtier has not hesitated to bench Neymar when the need arose and has also substituted Messi on a few occasions this season.
Messi has made the most appearances among the three despite having also been benched in the final minutes of the games against Monaco and Toulouse. Galtier, who took over this season, had warned that the team would always have precedence and has been true to his word as PSG have scored a record 24 goals in their first six league games.
“I spoke about it twice, once with each of them and once with the whole team, to tell them that this was how it was going to be and that we had to have the right attitude and accept it,” Galtier told a news conference on Monday.
With a tight schedule and the World Cup approaching, Galtier said there were few options. “They say it’s new, but it’s a must for everyone because of the tight schedule,” he sentenced. “We play a lot, every three days, then every four days, then there’s the World Cup. Everyone has to understand that they won’t be able to play every game”.