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

PSG will be back at the Parc des Princes on Saturday, Feb. 4 to host Toulouse on the 22nd matchday of the Ligue 1 season. Still undefeated at home (8 wins, 2 draws) this season, the expectation is for Paris Saint-Germain to keep the streak alive against the 12th-place visitors.

Les Parisiens come off a 1-3 midweek victory against minnows of Montpellier on the road in what marked their first win in the last three games, having lost and drawn one each of their prior two matchups. Galtier didn't make many changes and those he did, with the game already on, were forced because of injuries suffered by Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos.

Christophe Galtier held a pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon in which he shared some exciting nuggets ahead of the matchup with Toulouse on Saturday at the Parc des Princes. Here is what the coach said.

Asked about Lionel Messi taking on more responsibilities with Kylian Mbappe out injured and how that might impact his performance...

"There were connections between Leo and Kylian, Kylian and Ney. There will be a combined absence of Kylian and Ney on Saturday. There will be players around Leo as there were in Montpellier. [Messi] will be in his register, always placed in the zone in which he likes to play and start from. It is also up to the players around Leo to raise their level of play, make themselves available, and seize opportunities to play alongside him."

About taking so much time to decide on a final formation and style of play for his team...

"It didn't take long. From the start of the season, my vision of the team's game with a full squad was very clear. We suffered in certain areas of the game using the same scheme. After Benfica, we made the midfield denser and found a different formation. There are suspensions, fatigue, and injuries... The tactic put in place against Reims (flat 442), we had worked on it in Riyadh and in the Coupe de France, but I saw that in Ligue 1 with these players it wasn't going to work. We went back to a diamond 442 formation. Am I tripping? No. I try to find other formations that work. Tomorrow, we will not play in a flat 442. I must be in a constant reflection."

About what determines the system he chooses for every game...

"Having only one system does not satisfy me. My choice is based on the players available and their state of form. With regard to the adversary? No, it's first about the status of our team. I'll try to keep things down to just two formations, though.

About his thoughts on Kylian Mbappe playing more than he should and whether or not his injury might have been avoided by playing him fewer minutes...

"Mbappe will be absent, according to the medical exams, for about three weeks. We are in a unique season. There was a World Cup right in the middle of it. We're seeing that fatigue and injuries are occurring at all clubs. It's part of the job. We are unhappy for him, but you can't go through a season without having a physical problem. All the more so when the players are in high demand all the time, in club or national matches. We took a lot of precautions when Kylian returned. After the two games, once he return from the World Cup, he had 10 or 12 days off and he came back steadily and slowly after that on matches of lower intensity. I don't think Kylian played too much. Avoidable? There is always a risk when you play.

About the transfer window ending being a tough one to diguest after the last-minute blunder...

"I don't have a digestion problem... The transfer window is always difficult. We will do what we can with the quality squad that we have and the titis from the young teams. I'm not bitter at all, we knew the constraints. The club did their best to bring a player in. Now we must rely on the current team, and the youngsters will be part of the rotation in the second half of the season. Absences are important. Kylian, Sergio, Marco, Ney, Nordi, Kimpembe… That's a lot of people. But we are PSG. We have a quality squad. Those who are not there are often replaced by other international-level players."

About the respect he's earned from the public but the seeming discomfort of his players with him because of a lack of fighting spirit...

"It's not a lack of fighting spirit. I have players of a different register from those I have known and coached before. I have players focused mostly on the offensive part of the game, the last pass, and the goal. It's up to me to organize a team capable of both defending well and maintaining this offensive prowess and focus. I don't think the players aren't making that effort. There is Leo who knew how to manage the game and handle it in Montpellier. He was a natural leader and the players put themselves at the service of Leo. I congratulated my players in this sense.

About regretting not bringing more players to the first-team squad through the summer transfer window and the impact that might be having on the current team because of the injuries and the suspensions...

"I have no regrets. There was the desire to reduce the squad, to release players who had been there for some time (without doing that much to help the team). There is also the reality of the constraints; we experienced some during the winter transfer window. We were very close to having an additional player, but we didn't get it. It's what it is.