Galtier says Kylian Mbappe was not at full strength against Nice

Mbappe in action for PSG

Galtier says Kylian Mbappe was not at full strength against Nice

Stephen Oladehinde 13:35 - 09.04.2023

Paris Saint-Germain secured a vital win against Nice at the Allianz Riviera as they pushed further in the title race.

The French captain was in the starting lineup for PSG but the manager claims he was not at full strength for the tie. 

Goals from Lionel Messi in the first half and Sergio Ramos in the second half gave PSG the win after losing against Lyon and Stade Rennais back-to-back in previous wins. 

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Mbappe playing an important role for PSG

The leading scorer for PSG this season with 19 goals, Kylian Mbappe, was deemed by his manager Christophe Galtier to not be entirely fit for the game against Nice.

Galtier admitted that the 24-year-old wasn't fully ready for the match but that he still had to start him following Paris Saint-2-0 Germain's victory against OGC Nice on Saturday.

Mbappé had a minor part against Nice, just like he had in PSG's previous three games. When a ball was occasionally fed to him, the France captain failed to influence the game and did nothing with the chance given to him. He also missed a late-open goal, even though the offside flag was raised which summed up his performance.

Kylian not involved in some training sessions before the game

His involvement at the Allianz Riviera on Saturday night did have a significant effect on the game. Galtier admitted that Mbappé was unsure if he was fit enough for the game during the post-game press conference.

Speaking after the game, Galtier said, “Kylian played his 51st or 52nd match tonight. It’s normal that he’s sometimes less good. Yesterday he cut his training session short very early on and he was very uncertain about the match. I don’t think he played at full strength, but he wanted to be on the pitch, to be with the team at a difficult time. That shows a mindset as well, a certain solidarity,” said Galtier. 

Meanwhile, Mbappe took to the social media platform Instagram to show his disapproval of PSG’s decision to use an interview he did with the club’s media team as a promotional piece for their ticket advertisements.