Neymar and Mbappe motivate each other – Tuchel

Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel believes Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are motivating each other after starring in a 4-1 win over Amiens on Saturday.

Mbappe scored a brace and Neymar also struck before Mauro Icardi’s late sealer at the Parc des Princes.

In December, PSG netted 22 goals in six wins, with Mbappe (eight goals) and Neymar (five) leading the way.

Asked if they could get better, Tuchel was unsure how to define that as he praised his star pair.

“What does that mean, better? They play very well together. They’ve regained confidence and fitness, that’s the most important thing,” he told a news conference.

“They defend with a lot of intensity, they’re dangerous together because they like to play together. They’re very close together on the field and we want to play like that.

“We want to have 10 accomplices on the field. What’s better? Maybe to keep it that way. I don’t know. We need to have the same spirit and the same style, the same hunger to win, to score, to work together when we start the second part of the season.

“That’s the challenge of doing that every game, being on the field and working together. It gives satisfaction after the game, and our fans can feel that. It’s also going to give a lot of energy.”

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— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) December 21, 2019

Tuchel added: “Neymar, after 88 minutes, he defends 20 yards from our goal and closes spaces. He ran a lot defensively, it’s really amazing. He’s in a good phase.

“Neymar motivates Mbappe, and Mbappe motivates Neymar, that’s good. With everybody else, we play like a team. The challenge is to keep that spirit and that way of playing.”

PSG’s next outing is a Coupe de France clash against Linas-Montlhery on January 5.