Paris: A year on from guiding Lille to a surprise League 1 title, Christophe Galtier is transforming Nice into a force to be reckoned with in France as they close in on Champions League football.
Through to a first French Cup final in 25 years having knocked Paris Saint-Germain out along the way, Nice again got the better of the league leaders last weekend.
In three games with PSG this season, the only goal for either team was Andy Delort’s 88th-minute winner at the Allianz Riviera in Saturday’s 1-0 victory.
Nice, who beat PSG on penalties in the last 16 of the cup, boast the league’s best defense this term, and in Galtier they possess one of Europe’s savviest minds.
“He’s too good, we know that. It is not a secret anymore. He is the best coach in league 1. I hope he’ll stay with us for a long time,” Delort said following his heroics against PSG.
“We haven’t been beaten by Paris this season. It is up to us to take advantage of this game. If we want to finish as high as possible, we’ll need to win as many of them as we can.”
Nice finished third in 2016-17 under Lucien Favre after leading the league until Christmas, the club’s best performance since coming second in 1975-76. Nice won four titles in the 1950s.
The hope is that with Galtier in charge and the backing of Ineos, the group chaired by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, Nice can challenge for the big prizes.
