Christophe Galtier has defended Neymar’s “angry” behaviour after being substituted in Paris Saint-Germain’s narrow win over Lyon on Sunday.
Neymar provided the assist for Lionel Messi ’s early goal, which proved to be the game’s telling strike in a 1-0 victory at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais. In the 86th minute of the match, Galtier opted to take the Brazilian off for Carlos Soler – and the decision did not go down well with Neymar.
The PSG star was visibly frustrated with the call and sat with a face of thunder on the substitutes’ bench. For some, it was a sign of disrespect for his manager, but Galtier did not see anything wrong with Neymar’s behaviour.
"In these matches, the great players have to stand out like Ney and Messi tonight who were very good," he told Prime Video. "Neymar has worked a lot for the team. He came out, in my opinion, a little flushed and a little angry but that's normal. He has impeccable behaviour."
Neymar has made a fantastic start to the season and already has 11 goals and eight assists in 13 appearances across all competitions. His assist for Messi’s neatly-taken goal against Lyon was his 44th in Ligue 1, to go with his 77 goals in 100 matches.
That is some record and underlines Neymar’s importance to the side, despite Kylian Mbappe’s star status and Messi’s presence. Galtier took over the reins from Mauricio Pochettino this summer and is in no doubt about the 30-year-old’s contribution to the side.
"He is the one who gives the best balance," the PSG boss said of the former Barcelona winger. "He has volume and intensity, he is also generous to the team. He is both able to replace himself and to have dazzling, technical quality. He is a great entertainer."
Neymar’s impact has come after another summer filled with rumours that he might be about to leave PSG. Reports of his alleged unhappiness and uneasy relationship with Mbappe have abounded, but club chief Luis Campos has rubbished the rumours.
In an interview with RMC Sport, he said: "Neymar was never close to leaving PSG. Rumours on Neymar this summer were completely fake – also, saying that Mbappe wanted Ney to be sold is another big fake news. Neymar is 100 per cent part of our project."
Neymar joined PSG in a €222million (£198m) transfer from Barcelona back in the summer of 2017. Since then, he has contributed 111 goals and 68 assists across all competitions in 155 appearances, helping to win four league titles. But he is yet to help PSG win their ultimate goal: the Champions League.
The French giants have started their campaign strongly in both competitions. They sit top of Ligue 1 with seven wins and one draw from their opening eight games, while they have registered two victories from two Champions League group-stage games against Juventus and Maccabi Haifa.
After the international break, they will take on Nice on October 1 before travelling to Benfica for their Group H clash.
