Monaco vs. PSG: Christophe Galtier pre-match press conference

PSG visits Monaco on Saturday, Feb. 11 for the 23rd matchday of the Ligue 1. The triumphant run of league results was interrupted by a midweek loss to Classique rivals of Marseille (2-1) and the subsequent elimination from the Coupe de France, but Paris Saint-Germain will try to bounce back before hosting Bayern Munich next Tuesday.

Problems and headaches keep piling on Christophe Galtier, as the Parisian coach won't be able to count on any of Renato Sanches (out for a few weeks), Kylian Mbappe (most probably not returning until a week from now), and Lionel Messi (hamstring issues). Achraf Hakimi, Presnel Kimpembe, and Nordi Mukiele are highly questionable to play on Saturday, too.

Christophe Galtier held a pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon in which he shared some exciting nuggets ahead of the matchup against Monaco on Saturday at the Stade Louis-II. Here is what the coach said.

Asked about any injury-related updates...

"Kylian is taking care of himself, and the club mentioned an estimated time off of three weeks. Leo (Messi) felt muscle fatigue and he will return to training on Monday on the eve of the match against Bayern--you can dismiss the fact that he is uncertain. There are no concerns about Achraf Hakimi, as he worked indoors to eliminate fatigue today and he is available for tomorrow's game."

About PSG always having bad luck...

"There are sequences of matches (tougher than others) but what happens in a season... we have a squad at our disposal that seems balanced. Then, there is fatigue. These injuries happen when there are multiple consecutive matches. Without looking for an excuse, there was a World Cup in the middle, and some teams (like PSG) are tired. It's part of a period in a season that coaches have to navigate and manage. It's up to me to keep the squad fresh, to have a team that is efficient, and keep the players available on this important series of games."

About Messi's absence being detrimental to PSG on Saturday against Monaco...

"We know the importance of Leo in our game. He is the facilitator, the best technical player, also a scorer, and he has been decisive on many occasions. With his absence, it may be necessary to play in a different way to have a more compact team and to better use the qualities of each player. When you go to Monaco without Leo, it's always annoying, but this trip is part of the schedule of the season. It's always difficult to have your players available for 50 or 60 games."

About the mental state of the PSG players after the elimination against OM...

"They were very affected in the locker room, very affected after the match, and very affected yesterday. Many players are still recovering. During this period I must avoid long speeches, but I have to show (the players) what did not work. I must be clear with them. There is disappointment and when there is a disappointment, there is no point in getting angry. You have to have a very cool head to give the best possible instructions so that the team can get back on her feet."

About how he diagnoses what happened on the match against OM...

"Players were fresh enough to push more. On a mental level, we have failed at that. I do not mind that we keep thinking about how we should align on the offensive sector, but we are coming to a part of the schedule where we play intense teams. We should have found the answer to that by now. We have the technical quality but for the moment we do not find this aggressiveness and the players must make a big mental effort to regain that aggression and win many more duels in the heart of the game."

About the lack of "warriors" in the PSG squad...

"We lost something important by dint of being in possession of the ball and passing it around constantly, and that's the observation I made about the OM match: we lost the battle in the middle. You can't suffer so many lost duels in such a meeting. It's a Coupe de France match, against OM, and we knew the importance of such a match. On the analysis that I have of the match, we lost a lot of duels. It's fine to want to play and you have to play, but at some point, the middle battle is essential and we lost it. We have to assume this responsibility."

About the possibility of changing the squad against Monaco and starting Zaire-Emery...

"(It's hard) to carry out a total squad revamp when we go to Monaco… we are not in a preparation match. I am very satisfied with Warren's performance. We must bring competition in, and if a young player, even of just 16 years and a half, seems to be more able to play than others, then he will play.

About Mbappe's chances of playing against Bayern...

"The player's health comes first and I will be very cautious, especially since the season is still long."

About his expectations for the game against Monaco on Saturday...

"(They are) the same as in Marseille, but with different characteristics. Monaco will launch a big pressing effort and a very strong individual marking. They also have a nice offensive phase. This is a team that is always dangerous. We will have a difficult match but I hope we will also make it difficult and not show the same face as at Stade Velodrome."