Nene urges PSG to set sights on French title

The French national team may have ended their year on a high with a 2-1 defeat of England at Wembley, but the domestic league is still waiting for a side to take the title race by the horns.

After 13 rounds of the campaign, the top 12 clubs in the French first division are separated by just four points and second-bottom Nancy are as close to leaders Brest (eight points) as bottom side Arles-Avignon.

Paris Saint-Germain, who have lost just one of their last 15 matches in all competitions, are currently fifth, two points off the lead, and their Brazilian forward Nene says they should set their sights as high as possible.

“We’ve started well,” said Nene, who struck a last-minute equaliser at Lorient in PSG’s last league outing.

“The objective is a top-three finish in the championship, but I think that we can be champions. We work hard together, I hope that we’ll carry on like that.”

Paris have not mounted a sustained title challenge since 2003-04, when they finished second to Lyon, but their early-season form has raised hopes that serious silverware could be set to return to the capital.

Nene, a 5.5 million euros signing from Monaco in the summer, has been the catalyst for PSG’s rise, with seven league goals and some stunning displays, and he bridles at suggestions that he is prone to individualistic play.

The 29-year-old received criticism for diving after clashing with Souleymane Diawara in PSG’s recent 2-1 win over arch-rivals Marseille, but he insists that provocation is simply part of his game.

“I like putting on a show but it’s not at all my priority,” he told Thursday’s edition of L’Equipe sport daily.

“The priority is to be effective. But that’s how I play. I control and I provoke. I’ve always done it. I’m not going to change just because some people don?t like it.”

On Saturday, PSG host promoted Caen, who have slipped to 17th in the table and are without a win in seven games.

Brest, held 1-1 at home to Sochaux in their last outing, face a challenging trip to near neighbours Rennes.

A four-game winless streak has seen Frederic Antonetti’s young team fall to fifth, and Caen coach Alex Dupont is predicting an open encounter.

“The pleasant surprise is to see my team in this position, at this stage of the season,” Dupont told the official Brest website.

“Finding Rennes high up in the table is less surprising. It’ll mean a derby where the three points will definitely be at stake. But there’ll also be a soul to the game. It’ll be a real Breton derby.”

Lille rose to second in the standings on the back of a 5-2 demolition of Caen last weekend and Rudi Garcia’s free-scoring side host under-performing Monaco on Sunday.

Montpellier, third, visit Nice in Saturday’s late game, with sixth-placed reigning champions Marseille travelling to Toulouse.

“All the clubs have had problems with their play or their results, it’s not exclusive to Marseille,” said Marseille defensive midfielder Edouard Cisse.

“We’re not panicking, we’re not too far behind compared to the other clubs. We just know that we can do much better.”

Lyon, champions from 2002 to 2008, closed to within three points of the top with a narrow 1-0 win at home to Nice last time out, but on Sunday they visit a Lens team who have not lost since the beginning of October.

Fixtures

Saturday (1800GMT unless otherwise stated):

Nancy v Valenciennes, Paris Saint-Germain v Caen, Rennes v Brest, Saint-Etienne v Auxerre, Sochaux v Lorient, Toulouse v Marseille, Nice v Montpellier (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated):

Arles-Avignon v Bordeaux, Lille v Monaco, Lens v Lyon (2000GMT)