Galtier will level the stars, says his former teammate Václav Němeček about the new PSG coach

French coach Christophe Galtier has taken over the star-studded Paris Saint-Germain squad. A somewhat unfamiliar name to many Czech football fans, but not to former Czechoslovak national team captain Václav Němeček, who knew Galtier as a teammate. “He is incredibly hardworking and conscientious, that’s how he got where he is,” the Spartan legend acknowledges his expertise.

It was 1992 and midfielder Václav Němeček, after seven years at Sparta and five titles won, got an engagement at French FC Toulouse. There he met Galtier. “He was a stopper,” he recalls of his colleague. “He was the captain, the real leader of the team,” he reveals.

Galtier was adorned with commitment and sharpness. “He drove into the opponent with both feet, and even on the undercut he snipped at him with his scissors,” says Němeček, describing his way of fighting.

“Straightforwardness, honesty, he said everything straight,” he recalls his behaviour in the dressing room. “Unfortunately, he and a few other experienced players had a disagreement with the management, left after a year of my tenure and we were relegated,” the Czech legionnaire reveals the consequences of losing a strong personality.

Galtier remained the same as a coach. “He doesn’t beat around the bush, he says everything directly, he doesn’t make distinctions between players, he brings down a star like a newcomer,” Němeček explains the actions of the French expert. “Discipline is the basis for him,” he adds.

The 1996 Czech European vice-champion believes Galtier can easily straighten out the mannerisms of royally paid stars. “I watched the press conference before the team left for the training camp in Japan. He had everyone sign that they would respect the rules he set,” Nemecky observed.

“Galtier will bring the necessary order,” says the Czech international convincingly. He knows the coach of one of Europe’s richest clubs personally from the pitch.

Source: PSG, Ligue 1