PSG’s defeat at Nice shows just how much they rely on Kylian Mbappé

It has not been an easy season for Christophe Galtier at Nice. The veteran manager, who followed up an illustrious run with St-Étienne by steering Lille to an unlikely Ligue 1 title last season, was given plenty of money in the summer to bolster what was already a decent squad. However, his signings have often struggled this season and the fact that Nice have kept pace with the other clubs chasing PSG has been seen as an indictment of their rivals’ inconsistent form rather than evidence of Galtier’s coaching ability.

At least, that was the case until Nice outplayed and beat PSG at the Allianz Riviera on Saturday. Given that PSG were 16 points clear of their hosts when the game kicked off, the result may look almost immaterial, but the victory has taken Nice into second place and also shown what PSG’s future may look like if Kylian Mbappé decides to leave in the summer.

Nice had been in action in midweek – beating Versailles in the Coupe de France to book their place in the final against Nantes – but they did not look tired at all. Galtier’s side took the game by the scruff of the neck in a way that has rarely been seen before in the league against PSG. Yes, Lyon largely went toe-to-toe with Mauricio Pochettino’s side in both of their matches this season, and Nantes and Rennes have also recorded impressive wins, but Nice were the dominant force in this match.

Were Nice simply better or were they fortunate to be facing PSG while Mbappé was suspended? As Galtier remarked after the match: “There is a PSG with Kylian and another without him.” The truth lies somewhere between the two. Nice were excellent, dominating the midfield despite being outnumbered thanks to the play of Pablo Rosario and Mario Lemina. Marco Verratti was