Throughout the summer transfer window, Paris Saint-Germain was heavily linked with multiple formidable goal-scorers, including Robert Lewandowski. In the end, PSG football advisor Luis Campos did not bring in such a player to the club, and manager Christophe Galtier decided to go with a 3-4-1-2 setup for this season.
During a press conference ahead of PSG’s Ligue 1 home fixture against OGC Nice, Galtier took some time to react to Mbappe’s recent comparison of his play style at the club and with the France national team. Mbappe noted that he has more “freedom” with France, to which Galtier touched on the comments by revealing that PSG had plans during the summer window to bring in a keen forward that would have altered the team’s attacking setup.
“Already, his analysis is right,” Galtier said. “He is not in the same configuration with us and the national team. This is a discussion we had during the preparation. These are discussions I had with the president, with Luis Campos before starting the season, about the structure of our offensive sector. We were all convinced that we needed a fourth player with a different profile to have different possibilities and solutions.
“This fourth player with this different profile did not come. It’s a pity, but that’s how it is.”
Over the September international break, manager Didier Deschamps picked Mbappe to tag along with Olivier Giroud upfront in the France national team’s 3-4-1-2 formation. At PSG, Mbappe is more restricted on the pitch considering that he is the lone striker upfront in Galtier’s 3-4-2-1 setup.
PSG is set to return to league play on Saturday with the home clash against OGC Nice.