Divisions in the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room continues to undermine Christophe Galtier’s efforts to create harmony at the Parc des Princes.
PSG have a star-studded squad, with Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi making up the front line. And while they have a commanding lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table, continual reports of ructions in the squad are concerning.
Last month Galtier made Mbappe the club’s vice-captain without informing the previous incumbent Presnel Kimpembe. The long-serving PSG defender released a statement on social media to confirm the news, which did not go down well inside the camp.
Kimpembe said: “I was not made aware of this decision, this is completely false... That said, I will always respect the decisions of the club."
Galtier added: “He deserves to have this armband when Marquinhos is not there because he has decided to stay”.
But he has now made a complete U-turn on his original decision to make Mbappe as vice-captain. PSG hosted Lille in Ligue 1 on Sunday afternoon, and with Marquinhos unavailable due to a thigh injury, the expectation was that Mbappe would captain the side at the Parc des Princes.
However, when the teams came out of the tunnel, it was Kimpembe wearing the captain’s armband.
The captaincy confusion is just the latest example of the dysfunctional nature of PSG this season. GOAL France have reported that Marquinhos is angry with his defensive partner Kimpembe for undermining his captaincy by going against his orders and using a loudspeaker to apologise to fans after a defeat by Monaco.
Neymar is unhappy with Mbappe, with the two having an ongoing reported feud, which started when they fell out over the order of penalty-takers earlier this season in a Ligue 1 clash - with Mbappe having wanted the Brazilian sold last summer and a new No.9 signed in his place.
Meanwhile, Neymar recently revealed that he and Marquinhos were involved in an argument with Luis Campos after the PSG sporting director stormed into the dressing room following the 3-1 loss to Monaco last weekend.
“It has happened. We didn't agree with what was being said at that time, so we had a discussion about it,” Neymar said.
“We have lost a few games and we are frustrated about that. We want to win all the time. When those defeats come around, it hurts, so discussions are part of that. That can help us improve as a team. I think it has helped because we cleared things up. We know what we are all thinking.
“In terms of blocking things like that in the dressing-room, sometimes there are things that get into the press, and they can go viral very quickly. When there is information like that, we are angry. It is my sixth season here at PSG and it is difficult. Sometimes things have come out at important moments, like before a final. But I don't know what was going on.”
PSG are eight points clear at the top of Ligue 1, but they face the possibility of being knocked out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage after suffering a 1-0 defeat by Bayern Munich at home in the first leg on Tuesday.
