Thomas Tuchel insists Paris St Germain deserve more praise for their exploits after thrashing Marseille 4-0 in Le Classique.
PSG’s dominance in Ligue 1 was clear to see as first-half braces from Mauro Icardi and Kylian Mbappe blew Marseille away and moved them eight points clear at the top.
It means Tuchel’s side have won their last three games in all competitions – in the absence of injured forward Neymar – by a combined total of 13-1.
“This is an exceptional week, with outstanding results since the international break: 4-1 in Nice, 5-0 in Bruges and 4-0 tonight for Le Classique,” Tuchel said according to L’Equipe.
“Four goals in one half, I know everyone thinks it’s easy, but no, and I congratulate the team.
“It’s a match with a great story, which must be respected, it’s not an encounter like the others for our fans.
“Advantage or not (financially), we must win, show our quality.”
Icardi and Mbappe had shared five goals in the midweek Champions League win over Club Brugge before combining to rip apart Marseille in the first half on Sunday.
The former – a summer signing on loan from Inter Milan – has scored seven goals in his last five games.
Icardi said: “I’m very happy with this victory. We knew the importance this match had.
“I’m very happy with my two goals. I came here with this desire to score.
“I have played with great players, but here at PSG, it’s the best team I have played with.”
Marseille boss Andre Villas-Boas admitted he got his tactics wrong, but felt there was little his side could do against PSG’s superstars.
“I decided to play with high lines and we paid for it,” he said, according to L’Equipe.
“But it is the individual quality that made the difference, it is not a question on tactics.
“I am very proud of the second half. It was difficult to face them at half-time, when we were 4-0 down, but the players were brave. We finished with 4-0 and I’m proud.
“As I said before the match, this game does not count for anything.
“Our championship remains different and we are still three points behind second (Nantes). We must focus on (qualifying for) the Champions League.”
