Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) suffered their second defeat of the season against Nice on Saturday (5 March). Christophe Galtier's men closed the gap to 13 points at the top of Ligue 1. Astonishingly, PSG have failed to beat Nice in their last three games across competitions.
Twice, Galtier's men emerged victorious with one league encounter ending in a draw. It was the same opponent who knocked Mauricio Pochettino's men out of the Coupe de France this season as well.
Galtier has definitely got PSG's number. Last year, he led Lille to a remarkable title win, pipping Les Parisiens by a point. This year, despite becoming manager of lower-ranked Nice, Galtier has once again succeeded in getting the better of the Paris-based club as well.
PSG Underwhelming under Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino arrived in the French capital more than a year ago with the objective of leading the outfit to their maiden Champions League title. In the first season, his team failed to retain the domestic league title and just managed to win the Trophee des Champions against Marseille and the Coup de France against Monaco.
In the Champions League, they managed to pip Bayern Munich in the quarterfinals on an away goal only to lose to Manchester City in the next round. PSG are still in the hunt for their maiden Champions League triumph.
In the current season, PSG are now fighting in the three competitions, with perhaps the domestic league being the only competition where they fancy their chances.
With the arrival of Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Achraf Hakimi, PSG were all set to challenge for a quadruple. However, as things stand, they are out of one competition and the Champions League remains a big toss-up.
More importantly, they can ill-afford to be complacent in Ligue 1 which in fact was the very same reason that allowed Lille to catch them last year. Though they have a comfortable 13-point lead at the top, Galtier's men have no European commitments this season and can keep up their pace until the end of the campaign.
Galtier Deserves the Gig
Christophe Galtier has been nothing short of sensational in his coaching career in France. Under his guidance, Saint-Etienne finished in the top 10 of Ligue 1 for seven consecutive seasons, with four of those seasons ending in a European finish.
He arrived in Lille in the middle of 2017 as they were battling relegation. A year later they finished as runners-up and last year managed to conquer their ultimate dream of winning Ligue 1.
Galtier arrived in the Alpines this term to take charge of Nice, a team battling mid-table dissonance for years. In no less than three quarters, he has taken them second in the table, surpassing the likes of Marseille, Rennes and Lyon. Interestingly, they have also qualified for the French League Cup final as well.
A report from the Mirror suggests that Pochettino is planning a comeback to the Premier League. The Parisians could consider appointing a proven winner at the helm of their affair and give Galtier an opportunity to take them to glory.