PARIS - Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel has defended his team against criticism after they completed a sweep of all four French titles on penalties against Olympique Lyon and now set their sights on the resumption of the Champions League.
PSG prevailed 6-5 in the shoot-out after goalless 120 minutes in Friday night's League Cup final, a week after securing the national cup 1-0 against St Etienne.
"Paris celebrate their titles but they lack ease," Le Parisien paper said on Saturday, also observing a lack of fighting spirit.
But Tuchel would have none of it, blaming the media in the post-match news conference for "always finding something negative."
"There is no problem, we won ... Show me a team that scores four or five goals in every game. That is not possible," he insisted.
Instead, he praised his team after it added the final domestic trophy to the French Super Cup, Ligue 1 (awarded the title in an abandoned season) and the cup.
"Four national titles in a season, that's the maximum," Tuchel said, adding about the team: "I am proud of my team. They are good guys, they play together, enjoy working together, suffer together."
The team around Neymar and currently injured Kylian Mbappe now gears up for the Champions League quarter-final against dangerous Atalanta on August 12 at the mini-tournament in Lisbon.
PSG, who finally want to win the elite event, lack competitive matches as the two cup games have been their only ones since the league was first suspended in March and then abandoned because of the coronavirus.
dpa