Galtier Hits Back at Critics Of This PSG Star

Paris Saint-Germain manager Christophe Galtier has come to the defense of Marco Verratti’s 2022-2023 campaign.

Verratti has had a fair share of ups and downs in his 11th season with the reigning Ligue 1 champions. For one, the Italian midfielder garnered plenty of outside criticism for his sluggish performance in the second leg of PSG’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie against Bayern Munich.

Verratti has not received boos and whistles from PSG supporters during matches as of late, but he was one of the few players who PSG ultras called for to leave the team during their protest outside the club’s headquarters earlier this month.

From Galtier’s standpoint, he does not believe that Verratti is deserving of such hefty criticism.

“Marco is an important player,” Galtier said during a pre-match press conference ahead of PSG’s Ligue 1 fixture against Auxerre. “When he is not there, you can see and feel it in the game. The team had a gap in the game, especially due to the absence of many key players.

“I think that the criticism of Marco is quite severe compared to what he does on the field.”

Galtier also noted that Verratti is dealing with a minor knee injury, although the Italian midfielder managed to take part in an individual training session on Friday. Galtier is “hopeful” that Verratti will end up playing against Auxerre.

Verratti has so far featured in 26 contests in Ligue 1 play this season.

Tags Christophe Galtier Marco Verratti
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